School Of Justice Grieves Death Of Veteran Instructor Shawnee Fross: ‘She Commanded Respect.’

When Shawnee Fross’ colleagues talk about her, they almost always start the same way.

“Shawnee was a strong, capable, good cop…she commanded respect and attention, and she did it with grace,” said Fross’ sister, Sherry Schlueter, a former detective lieutenant for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. “She was a credit to the law enforcement profession.”

For nearly two decades, Fross served full-time as the defensive tactics and firearms manager at the School of Justice at North Campus. 

She taught thousands of recruits to defend themselves, using her judo skills and her 24-year career at the Hollywood Police Department as examples. 

Many of her students became officers, detectives and police chiefs. Some even ended up teaching at the SOJ.

Recently, they remembered those memories as they mourned her loss: Fross died on Oct. 17 at Miramar Memorial Hospital from stomach cancer. She was 74.

“More than just an instructor…she was a great person,” said SOJ Director Richard Clements, who was also Fross’ student in 1990. “She put a lot of time and effort into making sure that the student got the best that we had to offer.”

Early Life

Fross was born in November of 1950 in Chicago to Linda and Walter Schlueter. 

Shawnee was the oldest of three sisters that included Sherry and Shelley. Though the siblings were born in Chicago, the Schlueter family lived in Long Beach, Indiana until Fross was six. 

The family relocated often because of Walter’s job as an Olympic-level swimming coach. 

In 1956, they moved to South Florida, but lived in Oregon for about a year before finally returning to the Sunshine State, settling in the Melrose Park neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale.

Fross graduated from Stranahan High School in 1968 and left home soon after. She had her son, John, that same year.

After he was born, Fross started working as a waitress at Sweden House and then Chuck’s Steakhouse. During that time, she dated Walter Philbrick, a police officer in the Hialeah Police Department. 

Philbrick, who was a judo instructor in Davie, introduced Fross to the sport and law enforcement. 

“Judo made her brave,” said Susan Hayes, a close friend who later worked with Fross at the SOJ. “She always told me if it hadn’t been for judo, she might never have had the courage to try out for the police department.”

Police Work

 In 1978, Fross joined the Hollywood Police Department after completing their police academy.

Her first job was as a patrol officer. She was often the first responder to calls.

“Road patrol is really the heart of police work,” said Schlueter, who served as a patrol officer for two years. “You’re dealing with people who are very emotional, who are sometimes experiencing the worst day of their lives, people who have been robbed at gunpoint, people whose homes have been broken into and their serenity violated.”

Fross eventually became a field training officer, guiding new officers through their first few months on the job.

As a female officer, Fross faced challenges. At the time, police departments were typically male-dominated spaces.

“The police force is a kind of a macho environment, especially back in the 1970s,” John said. He later added, “But these women were tough. They stuck it out and made a good name for themselves. I mean, my mom was well-respected by the time she retired.” 

In 1986, Fross began a part-time job at the SOJ as a defensive tactics instructor. Her teachings were adopted into the wider Florida Department of Law Enforcement curriculum. 

“She just had her way of putting her own personal touch on police work, and she wanted the students to be given material that is challenging,” said George Pacheco, an instructor at the SOJ and another of Fross’ former students. “But she had that motherly touch to make sure that you understood what it is that you’re doing and why you’re doing it, you know, doing things with purpose.”

In 2002, Fross retired from the Hollywood Police Department after 24 years and her part-time post at the SOJ.

Back To North 

But she couldn’t stay away for long. In 2006, Fross returned to North Campus—this time as a full-time defensive tactics and firearms manager. 

“When she retired, she was not ready to be retired,” John said. “My mom loved to work. She wanted to stay busy. She loved being needed and being involved with law enforcement and future law enforcement officers.”

For the next nineteen years, Fross ushered in the new generation of aspiring law enforcement officers. She was often seen in her red long sleeve polo and khakis, training cadets in self-defense tactics. 

“She brought [MDC] into the forefront of tactical considerations,” Clements said. “Whenever there was a question about the curriculum or if there were modifications that needed to be made, Shawnee was that subject matter expert.”

In addition to her professionalism, Fross was revered for her warm presence and her baking skills, many declared her brownies as the best ever.

Last Spring, Fross received the President’s Excellence Award, one of the highest recognitions given to MDC employees. It acknowledges her passion for law enforcement and her dedication to her students. 

Beyond The Badge

When she wasn’t doing police work, Fross was an accomplished judo athlete.

In 1973, she became a judoka. The sport introduced her to hundreds of people.

“We went to judo five nights a week, and then went to tournaments on weekends, so it was like judo, judo, judo,” said Linda Covert, a close friend and fellow judo practitioner. “But in judo, you make lifelong friends, because everybody’s just so close, and every tournament you go to, somebody gets hurt, and everybody goes to the hospital. But we just kept going and going.’

Fross won two gold medals in judo during the 1994 World Masters Games in Australia, defeating a 1988 Olympian to win one of the medals. 

But her love for sports didn’t stop there. She often attended the Olympics in person, going to the 2012 London edition with her granddaughter and the 1996 and 2000 games with Covert. 

Other passions included traveling and reading fantasy books such as the Game of Thrones series. She also had a deep-rooted love for animals.

“Shawnee had a great love for horses… she had an affinity for cougars and also for ravens, among other animals,” Schlueter recalled.

The 74-year-old was also a connoisseur of classical music. She often saw Seraphic Fire, a classical music ensemble, perform live in Miami. 

Fross is survived by her sisters, Sherry and Shelly, her son, John, her grandchildren, Amanda and John Jr., her great-grandchild, and her three cats, Mac, Scooter and Kuro.

“We’re going to be a little less of a world without my mom,” John said. “She did a lot for a lot of people and tried to be a good influence and a positive light.”

Click here to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.