54 years means if I’m 30, you know, when you were coming up, you could have met me at five years old and I’m a cop working for you, right? You said you have 1900 or 2,000.

The number was 2,000.

How how aggressively do you recruit cops? And in Pole County, how many kids grow up because of you saying, “I want to be a cop one.

I want to be a sheriff one day.

” How? A lot.

I can only imagine.

I’ve got to tell you a funny story.

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So we are swearing in a group of deputies and then we have their wife, their sister, their mother, their father pin on their badge, right? So a mother comes up and she’s pinning on the badge of her her son who is now a brand new deputy.

And I look at him while she’s pinning the badge on and I said, “You know, I worked for the sheriff’s office before you were born.

” And he said, “Sheriff, you worked for the sheriff’s office before my mama was born.

” I thought that was a telling moment in life.

So, I had worked for the sheriff’s office much longer than and here he’s old enough.

I started work at the sheriff’s office when I was 18.

It’s a God thing.

I believe this is my mission field in life.

And I work my way through the ranks.

I didn’t run against the incumbent sheriff.

He was a dear friend of mine, still is.

When he retired, I ran for office.

My dream from the time I as far back in as I can remember is to be the sheriff of the county.

And I I’ve been offered to run for governor, House of Representatives, Senate.

You know, I’ve had political groups come really really recruit me.

That’s a blessing.

I’m I I appreciate that.

But I’m just a sheriff.

I’m just a I’m just a sheriff.

I just keep the place safe.

Uh so cops, okay, kids wanted to grow up to be cops, right, in the area.

Question for you on the opposite side.

You sound like you’re big on making examples of people that do dumb things so they stop doing it.

Have you ever had bad cops and how do you treat bad cops? The same way.

If is it worse or is it same standard? Same standard.

Same exact standard.

I I I we investigate.

If we have a a a cop who who violates the law, we investigate them.

We get a warrant for their arrest.

We arrest them.

I do a press release and then I do a press conference.

Oh, seriously? Oh, you you can go online and see where I’ve held pictures of deputies up that we’ve arrested because I make it abundantly clear.

We all go by the rules.

And if you don’t, then I’m going to use that public record.

That public record is there so the community knows who is being arrested.

Give me an example.

What is this? Did you find one? Is there an example of one where and what did they do? Just an example of see how you make it because this makes me as a voter in your county to say this guy is fair.

He treats everybody the same with the same standards.

Sure.

Uh, you know, fortunately, I’ve got 1,200 deputies, and it’s a rare rare rare event, but occasionally, well, here’s one that they’ve brought up for us.

Uh, he he falsified documents.

21-year-old Jay Carmich was booked in Pole County Jail and charged with forgery, uttering a false instrument, use of ID of another person without consent, and public servant altering official document.

He resigned at the time of his arrest.

Had he not resigned, his employment would have been terminated by PS.

Public service must be held to higher standard.

Dishonesty will not be tolerated.

The American conduct was unethical and criminal.

And we are making sure he will be held responsible.

Yes, I do.

I do a press release and and put his picture out there.

There’s his picture.

Is that is that a is that a Do you think making examples of people publicly is effective? Is that one of your philosophies? I believe in that.

I believe in using the public record of the state of Florida and I truly believe that we hold law enforcement officers to a higher standard because law enforcement officers are supposed to be the positive example for the community and they are.

When you go throughout my community and you see a deputy, then you can be sure that that deputy’s honest, ethical, and moral because if he or she’s not, they can’t work for me.

It’s not personal.

It’s just business.

But I can tell you this, when a law enforcement officer, a deputy in my county sits down to eat lunch at at a restaurant, as many times as not when he goes to pay the bill, when he gets up to leave, somebody’s picked it up and paid it.

Got it.

Our community wraps their arms around us and supports us.

So awesome.

And we love our community.

That is so awesome.

That’s so awesome.

I to me I see it the same way.

You know, when you when you see a guy in a uniform, it’s like, “Hey, thank you for your service.

” When you see a guy that’s keeping your community safe and you got kids, hey, I want to make sure you’re happy.

I want to make sure you’re taken care of.

But it’s also important that your standards are equal, whether somebody is working for you versus if it’s somebody that’s criminal as well.

By the way, who’s the most famous person you’ve dealt with, you pulled over? For example, just few days ago, we all saw the mugsh shot of Tiger Woods.

and Tiger Woods, you know, I’m I’m a big fan of I love the guy uh uh on on how he is has fierce competitiveness.

And then while he’s getting arrested, there’s a clip that came viral that he’s right that this the camera of him calling the president if I’m not Rob, is this the TMZ sports uh Can we show this or No, Rob, are we able to show this? Go for it.

Go ahead.

Or at least he said he is good.

I just keep you down here with us, please.

Yeah, I was talking to the president.

At least he said he was.

Yeah.

Who have you experienced in P County? Have you guys, you know, had any incidents where somebody is there coming through and Yeah, I’m trying to think.

There was a rapper that was hiding out in Davenport several years ago.

He is now in prison in Illinois for sex crimes against children.

Help me out.

I’m I’m not big on R.

Kelly.

Mark R.

Kelly.

Yes.

R.

Kelly was in your county.

Oh, yeah.

We arrested him and we arrested him.

He was hiding out.

I think it was Illinois warrants.

He was hiding out in Davenport and we we arrested him and and put him in the county jail.

Interestingly enough, the story behind that is some of the detention deputies, because as you know, R.

Kelly is pretty big deal.

They wanted to pose with him and get pictures with him while he was in jail.

And he did.

He he was a heck of a nice guy.

But it cost them a suspension because that’s not professional.

Stop it.

And because of you? Oh, we hammered him.

Was this mine telling him? No.

R.

Kelly.

Like, was he the stuff that he was doing? No, this was before they knew that he was the deviant he was.

Got it.

He was just a high-profile rapper that was arrested and and I forget what the Did you speak to? Did you meet him or Oh, no.

No, I didn’t.

I my guys went out and arrested him and they said R.

Kelly is downstairs in the jail.

And I went, who’s R.

Kelly? I don’t know who R.

Kelly is.

Did they play this song to say, listen, uh, Sheriff Grady J, this is this is R.

Kelly.

He’s a big time.

So, it’s interesting.

So, he was hiding out.

Have you ever had guys that come up to you and say, do you know who I am? Do you know who I am? How do you handle that? You know who I am? Well, you know, back in the day when you’re a deputy, they they try that kind of thing.

And today they try it with my deputies because obviously, you know, I’ve got a presence.

Well, I’m friends of Sheriff Grady Jud.

And my deputies smile at him and said, “Well, I am, too.

He hired me to arrest you today.

” But what do you do if you have a friend that gets arrested and tries to use your name and says, “Come on, Greg.

You got to take care of me here.

” What do you tell them? I tell him, you know, I’ll give you uh two pillows and an extra mattress, but you’re going to the county jail.

You go.

Has it ever happened? Like a very very good friend.

Oh yes.

Relatives.

And you know I tell them lock them up.

Lock them up.

That’s what we do.

We put bad guys in jail.

We put people who violate the law in jail.

So yes, I’ve had I’ve had friends.

I’ve had acquaintances.

They look at you and say, “How could you do this, Grady? How could you do this?” Oh, it’s easy.

What do you tell them? Makes me smile.

Warms my heart.

A true believer from day one for you, huh? It’s like not even a question.

Yes.

Now.

Yeah.

And and I tell you, you know, if they get all sad, you know, I I tell them I, you know, I’ll call your wife to bond you out if that’ll help you out some.

But you got to go.

Yeah.

No, no, don’t call the wife.

Please don’t call the wife.

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