(Originally published in NewsMax.)
Police walk a fine line. They want and need the public to trust them, but they want criminals to fear them. Lean too far in one direction, and they become ineffective.
A good example of this can be seen with what has happened with police since the George Floyd riots. The media painted police in the worst light possible and the public lost their trust in them. Because of that, not only did police resign in droves, people rioted, and crime spiked.
Why did the latter happen?
Because criminals had no fear of the police or prosecution. They believed they could get away with criminal acts, and so they committed them.
What we need are more police like Polk County (Florida) Sheriff Grady Judd. Criminals apparently fear him while feeling like they have an invitation to commit crimes in neighboring Osceola County.
A burglary suspect was recently stopped by deputies. The driver, Tamari Lucas, was arrested but his passenger fled the scene.
He told the arresting officers that he would get out of jail quickly because he was arrested in Democrat-controlled Osceola County. He was then told that he was in Polk County.
“Oh, my God! Not Grady Judd! Are you [expletive] serious? This really sucks because you guys don’t play around in Polk County,” he allegedly stated.
Judd has a reputation as a tough on crime sheriff. It’s something that residents of Polk County appreciate since he was first elected as sheriff in 2004. It is also something that criminals have come to realize over the years that it is true.
“Well, the reality is, we want all burglars to understand that nobody plays,” Judd told reporters during a press conference.
Judd’s tough on crime approach shows in each county’s crime statistics. According to Crimegrade.org, Osceola County gets an overall crime grade of D+, which is a compilation of violent, property and other crimes. It ranks in the 26th percentile for safety with a crime rate of 35.94 per 1,000 residents. Meanwhile, Polk County has an A- grade and is in the 77th percentile with a crime rate of 23.82 per 1,000 residents.
You can see why criminals might want to avoid the county. It’s a lot harder to be a criminal there.
This is what all states, countries, and municipalities should be aiming for. Elect and hire officers who are tough on crime without abusing their authority. Let them do their jobs and enforce the laws.
Fox News also pointed out that shortly before police arrested Lucas, they also arrested a 14-year-old on suspicion of grand theft auto. The minor had a long list of violent crime and drug arrests.
When speaking about these two criminals, Judd said at a press conference, “These two thieves are running rampant and they obviously don’t take our criminal justice system seriously. Why is this 14-year-old out at 1:00 in the morning stealing cars and committing burglaries?
“Where are the adults in his life? We will absolutely hold these two accountable; we are just not going to tolerate this nonsense.”
This is what most people in this country want. Hold the criminals accountable for their actions. Judd is the type of law enforcement officer we need if this country going to be serious about getting crime under control.
We need a lot more Sheriff Judds.
Michael Letts is the Founder and CEO of In-Vest USA, a national grassroots nonprofit organization helping to re-fund police by contributing thousands of bulletproof vests for police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs. He also has over 30 years of law enforcement experience. Read More Michael Letts reports — Here.
