Grady Judd

Grady Judd (born March 10, 1954) is the current sheriff of Polk County, Florida.

Grady Judd
Sheriff of Polk County
Assumed office
January 4, 2005
Preceded byLawrence W. Crow Jr.[1]
Personal details
Born (1954-03-10) March 10, 1954
Lakeland, Florida, United States
Political partyNon Partisan[2]
Spouse(s)Marisa
Children2
Alma materLakeland Senior High School (Florida)[3]
Polk Community College (AS)
Rollins College (BA, MS)[4]

Early life and education

Grady Judd was born Lakeland, Florida, in 1954.[5] He earned both bachelor's and master's degrees from Rollins College, and has graduated from the FBI National Academy.[6] He has also been awarded two honorary doctorates. Webber International University presented Judd with an Honorary Doctorate of Business in 2015, and Warner University presented him with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Studies in 2020[7].

Career

Judd started working for the Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) in 1972 as a telephone communicator. As the first employee under the age of 21 in the department's history, he was required to get his father to purchase his ammunition.[3] At the age of 27, he attained the rank of captain, supervising 44 employees, all of whom were older than he.[3] He was elected as the sheriff of Polk County in 2004, and re-elected in 2008, 2012, and 2016.[8] In the 2020 election campaign, Judd ran unopposed[9]. Judd has served as an adjunct professor at both the University of South Florida and Florida Southern College.[10]

Judd has served as president of the Florida Sheriffs Association (2013-2014)[11] and president of the Major County Sheriffs of America (2018-2019)[12]. He is also a commissioner on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission[13]. Judd has also served as an active member of the Bartow Rotary Club since 1994[14] and was a member of the Board of Directors for the club from 1996-1999.

Judd gained publicity as a sheriff with a "tell it how it is" demeanor.[8] In 2006, PCSO Deputy Matt Williams and his K-9 partner DiOGi were shot and killed during a traffic stop. The suspect did not turn himself in quietly, instead he forced deputies to protect themselves by shooting the suspect, killing him. When a reporter asked Judd why his deputies shot a suspected cop killer 68 times, he responded "That's all the bullets we had, or we would have shot him more."[15]

After 26-year-old Tony “TJ” Wiggins was arrested as the primary suspect in the murders of Brandon Rollins, 27, Keven Springfield, 30, and Damion Tillman, 23, a news conference was held. During this conference, Judd said “I’m sure somebody thinks he outta have counseling, and pretrial release... Our goal, and we pray that the state attorney can seek the death penalty, he needs to receive a fair trial … then be executed.”[16]

References
  1. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2005-01-06-0501050341-story.html
  2. "Candidates". polkelections.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  3. Chambliss, John (3 January 2005). "Grady Judd Has Wanted to Be Sheriff Most of His Life". Theledger.com. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  4. "Sheriff Grady Judd Biography". Polksheriff.org.
  5. "Q & A with Sheriff Grady Judd of Polk County Florida". Msnbc.com.
  6. http://www.polksheriff.org/about/sheriff-grady-judd
  7. White, Gary. "Warner petition for graduation ceremony draws support". The Ledger. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  8. Florida, News Talk (4 January 2017). "Grady Judd Sworn In For Fourth Term As Polk Sheriff". Newstalkflorida.com. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  9. "Polk Sheriff Grady Judd re-elected for four more years after no one ran against him". FOX 13 News. 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  10. "Sheriff Grady Judd". Polksheriff.org. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  11. "Sheriff Grady Judd | Polk County Sheriff's Office". www.polksheriff.org. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  12. "Sheriff Grady Judd | Polk County Sheriff's Office". www.polksheriff.org. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  13. Association, Florida Sheriffs. "Polk County Sheriff Bio". Florida Sheriffs Association. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  14. Association, Florida Sheriffs. "Polk County Sheriff Bio". Florida Sheriffs Association. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  15. Taylor, Gary (2006-10-01). "SWAT teams shot suspect with 68 bullets". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  16. "'Pure evil': Grady Judd calls for execution of Frostproof 'massacre' suspect". News Channel 8. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.


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