GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Chief John Guzman said Thelma Hiles and Chief Derek Asdot will be the first inductees to the police department’s Wall of Honor. Guzman made the announcement during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 21.

“This wall will serve to honor our agency’s history and the contributions made by past members. It is important to preserve the past; ensuring that members who played vital roles in our department are never forgotten,” Guzman said.

Hiles became the first female law enforcement officer in the Green Cove Springs Police Department—and possibly Clay County—in June 1975 after obtaining her Law Enforcement Officer Certificate at the police academy in St. Johns County. During her time with the Department Hiles served in several areas, including Dispatcher, Uniform Crime Report Specialist, Law Enforcement Officer, and Secretary before retiring in 1989.

Asdot began his work with GCSPD as a law enforcement officer in 2002 and became Chief of Police in 2017. Chief Asdot is widely regarded as a progressive leader who spearheaded dynamic transformational changes at the Green Cove Springs Police Department in a short period of time. During his law enforcement career, he served as a DEA Task Force Officer out of the Jacksonville Regional Office and as a Detective on the Clay County Drug Task Force, as well as served as a member of the Florida Narcotics Officers’ Association. Chief Asdot died of complications from contracting the COVID-19 virus on Sept. 28, to become the first Line of Duty death in the history of the department.

The Wall of Honor cannot be accessed by the public, but rather serves as a reminder and inspiration to GCSPD officers and staff of how the contributions of officers and staff in the past have shaped the way the Police Department runs today.