Captain Diane Croff: The Coast Guard’s first reserve military judge Story by Lt. Cmdr. Marcus Brown Capt. Diane Croff waves at Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawks at least once a day from her chamber’s window as they depart Air Station Clearwater, just half a mile away from the County Justice Center in Clearwater, Florida. Appointed by the Florida Governor in November 2021, Croff serves on the Sixth Judicial Circuit as a county court judge in Pinellas County, where she presides over civil and criminal traffic cases. Yet, for Croff, the Florida judicial appointment was not her first time presiding on the bench. In 2019, she became the Coast Guard’s first reserve military judge after being selected and designated by the Judge Advocate General as a collateral-duty special court-martial judge. In this capacity, she presides over criminal pleas, hearings, and formal proceedings. Croff’s introduction to the Coast Guard started at a young age. She grew up in Ocean City, New Jersey, about 30 miles north of Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. Although she considered attending a service academy for college, a softball scholarship incentivized her to attend college in Boston instead. After graduating from law school in 2000, she craved a team- oriented work environment. The Coast Guard JAG corps was a natural choice. “I wanted to join a team, and that’s exactly what I found in the Coast Guard,” said Croff. “I learned from the start that, as teammates, we not only help each other learn the job but also how to become better at the job. And then, once you become successful, you reach back and grab the next shipmate and bring them up with you, and help them succeed.” Croff completed initial training with the Direct Commission Lawyer program in 2001, just a few days before 9/11. After three years at Maintenance & Logistics Command Atlantic (now Legal Services Command Norfolk), which included a year with the Navy as a defense attorney, she was assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa, Florida, as a Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA). There, she prosecuted maritime drug interdiction cases as part of Operation Panama Express—one of the country’s most successful counterdrug operations. As the Coast Guard’s first SAUSA to serve in that billet, Captain Croff found her passion as a prosecutor. In 2006, she prosecuted the Coast Guard’s first-ever interception of a semisubmersible transporting cocaine. That same year, the captain made the difficult choice to leave active duty to become a statewide prosecutor in Tampa. For the next 14-plus years, she successfully prosecuted gangs, doctors operating pill mills, public officials accused of corruption, and various other criminal cases while serving as the Chief of the Tampa Bureau until her appointment to the state bench in 2021. While working as a Florida prosecutor, Croff continued to serve in the Coast Guard as a Reserve JAG attorney, where she frequently provided legal support during disaster response and other contingency operations. Most recently, in 2020, she deployed to the Gulf Coast to provide legal assistance to Coast Guard members affected by Hurricanes Laura, Sally, and Delta. Since practicing criminal law in both the civilian and military worlds, Croff has faced the additional challenge of frequently adjusting between the two. “Being able to take a step back and think about what hat you’re wearing at that time is important when you step into the courtroom,” said Croff. “Many of the court rules, procedures, and terminology are very different, so you have to always be mindful to keep them separate and stay abreast of the updates.” When asked whether being a judge was always the goal, Croff said she never really thought about that as a young attorney. “My focus was always on the task before me and working hard at whatever job I was doing. Do well at the job you have. Be committed to that job. And eventually, when a door opens up, you’ll be ready to walk through it.” Croff retired from the Coast Guard in July, and she plans to continue to serve in other meaningful ways. She currently volunteers with Southeastern Guide Dogs—an organization that trains labradors to serve veterans with disabilities. She also plans to start presiding over the Veteran’s Court in Pinellas County to help veterans struggling with legal problems by providing solutions aimed at treatment and rehabilitation rather than incarceration and punishment. Croff said there’s no better place to practice law than in the Coast Guard. “Everything I have been able to accomplish in my career is because of the Coast Guard,” she said, “and I am so grateful for that.” � 26 RESERVIST � Issue 3 • 2022
