Brandenburg prepares to step into the top job at the Key West Police Department

BY TERRY SCHMIDA
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER
Key West’s new police chief is a well-rounded captain with experience in a variety of positions in the department he joined in 2002 after discovering the Keys on a vacation.
Capt. Sean Brandenburg will take the reins of the Key West Police Department when current Chief Donie Lee officially retires in December.
“My relatives have all been very supportive,” [of his promotion] Brandenburg said of his kin, several of whom have also served in law enforcement. “I’ve heard many words of encouragement and wisdom from them.” Brandenburg is married, with no children.
The decision to promote him, which was made by City Manager Jim Scholl, may reflect Brandenburg’s pre-Key West policing experience in places with similarities to the Southernmost City.
As a child he lived in numerous locales, but ended up settling in North Manchester, Ind., his mother’s hometown, where his stepfather worked as the assistant chief of police. With two of his three brothers also working in law enforcement at various levels, Brandenburg decided early on that he too wanted to work in the field, and by 1990, he did, first in Bloomington, Ind., and then in North Manchester.
“I like small town policing,” Brandenburg said. “It’s a larger agency here, but I still feel that we have a small town feel. I also enjoy the challenges we find with so many visitors.”
Over the course of his career with the KWPD, Brandenburg has worked in the Special Response Team, and the Mounted and K-9 units. He was promoted to the rank of captain of the Department’s Administrative Bureau in 2014, and by 2016, had graduated from the FBI’s National Academy in Virginia. He already held a bachelor’s degree from Vincennes University, in Vincennes, Ind.
He’s also served as the night shift Operations Lieutenant, and as the Detective Sergeant in the Special Ops division, where he experienced some of his most memorable moments on the force.
Asked about his “hairiest” experiences as a Key West cop Brandenburg replied, “Well, I was on the Special Response team for the two aircraft hijackings from Cuba. That was an experience.”
Outside of work, Brandenburg serves as a member of the Key West Rotary, ande mentors in the Keys to be the Change program. His hobbies include traveling with his wife and dog, biking, running 5K races, and woodworking.
Brandenburg is aware of the turmoil which roiled the top level of KWPD leadership prior to Lee’s years of stability as chief, and has no plans to institute major changes to department policy.
“There’s really nothing major that needs changing right now,” Brandenburg said. “[Lee] has done a great job.”
He is, however, aware of the challenges facing the people who serve in the KWPD, as the island itself continues to evolve into a very different place from the one he arrived in all those years ago. At the top of his list: Affordable housing for his officers.
“That’s always been a problem for the department,” Brandenburg said. “Affordable housing for our people has to be one of our top challenges.”

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