Crisis Intervention unit

As the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office grows, so do our calls for service that require us to assist those in mental distress

Currently all deputies at the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office are required to complete crisis intervention training. Along with the deputies receiving this training a special team has been created and educated called (CIT) Crisis Intervention Team. This team consist of specially trained civilian personnel that work in conjunction with the patrol deputies. This unit responds to calls that involve persons in mental distress and assists deputies in de-escalation techniques to resolve the situation.

This team also provides follow up services to persons and their families that are experiencing crisis. The program provides an essential service to our citizens and, as your Sheriff, I will continue to expand this unit and provide further services to those in need.

Fastest growing community in the country

As a 33-year veteran of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, and your current Under Sheriff, I have seen the growth in the community and within the agency. I know what it takes to run a fast growing agency, and manage a fiscally responsible budget that ensures Sumter County remains one of the safest counties within the State of Florida for our families and loved ones.

Sumter County consistently stays within the top eight safest counties in the State of Florida even as the county has remained one of the fastest growing counties as your Sheriff, I will continue our dedication to maintaining this level of safety, and work to ever improve with our goal to always strive to be number one. I will also continue the growth of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office to continue meet the demands of the rising population, and ensure the safety of the county and its citizens that I love.

Fiscal responsibility

As your current Sumter county Undersheriff and having held several administrative positions within the agency, I have been integral in the agency budgeting process. As your Sumter County Sheriff I will continue to be fiscally responsible while maintaining the level of law enforcement services that the citizens of Sumter County deserve and expect. I will also continue to fight for raises for agency personnel to keep use competitive with surrounding agencies, and continue to recruit the very best.

Drone program

As technology progresses, so does the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. The drone program is one example of this progression. The unit was developed as a rapid response unit to have eyes in the sky as soon as possible. Each shift has drones assigned to it with one being on the north end of the county and one being on the south end of the county during every shift. In addition to those the mid shift also has a drone assigned to allow float coverage in the county.

The drones allow deputies to have a rapid response to situations in which aerial support is needed such as searches for suspects, missing children, and our family members who wander due to illness. The drones are able to be deployed faster and at a cost savings advantage to operating the agency helicopter, and allow us to reserve the helicopter for its mission specific purpose.

Bike patrol

Crime prevention is of the utmost importance; as your current Undersheriff, I am always looking for ways to combat crime within the county. One way was to implement a bike patrol unit; the bike patrol allows deputies more access to communities and functions where a patrol car cannot easily access. They also allow more interaction with the citizen’s. The bike units are currently assigned to the street crime unit and have proved to be an effective tool in combating crime within the county.

Street crimes unit

Throughout my 33-year career at the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, I have always taken an aggressive approach toward crime prevention. One way to continue this aggressive approach was the implementation of a proactive Street Crimes Unit. This Street Crimes Unit falls under the Special Investigations Division and works closely with the agency Crime Analyst; Together, they look for areas in which they see crime trends and they focus on those areas of concern.

Civilian traffic investigators

The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office number one complaint is speeding and traffic issues. A way to allow more traffic enforcement while maintaining fiscal responsibility was to implement (CTI) Civilian Traffic Investigators. The Civilian Traffic Investigators work all traffic accidents with the exception of fatalities and criminal traffic incidents. Having the civilian investigators allows sworn traffic units to do more proactive enforcement. The civilian traffic unit combined with sworn officers also allows faster response times to traffic related incidents reducing the time that citizens have to wait roadside. As your Sheriff I will to continue to expand the traffic enforcement division to better serve the citizens and keep our streets safe as our community grows.

Volunteer funeral escort program

As Undersheriff I saw the need and opportunity to enhance our volunteer programs within the agency. One enhancment was the implementation of a volunteer funeral escort program. This unit frees up deputies to continue patrol functions while they assist families in their time of loss by escorting the funeral processions. The volunteer unit consists of retired law enforcement officers who volunteer their time to help the agency and give back to the community.

Community Outreach

As your Undersheriff, something that is dear to my heart is community outreach. Without the community support, we cannot accomplish our goals. Community outreach is our way of giving back to the community and the children of Sumter County. Fundraisers are done with the funds going to help the youth of Sumter County. Some examples are: Shop with a Cop and the Annual Sheriff’s Golf Tournament. As Sheriff, I will continue to hold fundraising events and expand the community outreach programs. I will always fully support the youth of our community and those in need. I will also continue to support the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches. This will be done through both monetary contributions and volunteer time.

Teen Driving Program

As a father who has a teenage son, that has been driving only a short time, I see the need to educate our youth through the teen driving program. This program will allow teens to gain knowledge and skills to make them safer drivers. The youth are our future. As a father and your future sheriff, I will do everything I can to insure the safety of our youth and community.

Retired Law Enforcement Shoot

Our retired law enforcement officers dedicated their lives to serving their communities and citizens. Every year at the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, we qualify over 600 retired law enforcement officers, allowing them to be able to carry concealed weapons. This is just one small way we give back for the job that each and every one of them did. It also lets us know that we, as current law enforcement officers, have someone watching our back. As Sheriff of Sumter County, this program will always be available to our retired law enforcement officers at no charge.

Training

Training is of the utmost importance, as a 33-year veteran of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office I have completed countless of hours of advanced and specialized training. I am a believer that you can never get enough training. I will continue to expand the agency training unit to give deputies access to training that they need and want. One thing that has already been implemented is the partnership of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office with Withlacoochee Technical College, and have been approved as an off-site training location. This allows our agency to host and instruct classes at the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. It allows us to schedule the courses so that they are shift friendly, allowing more personnel to get the training they want and need while reducing overtime and maintaining fiscal responsibility.

Senior Training Enhancement Program

It’s no secret that Sumter County is a county that has a vast population of senior’s. I believe that not only is it important to focus on teen driving skills but also senior driving. Over time, persons create bad driving habits and some driving skills diminish with age. This program would be designed to help drivers regain certain skills and re-instill skills that are needed to be safe drivers.

to crime. As your current Undersheriff, I currently fully support this program and work closely with it. As your future Sheriff, my commitment to this program will continue.

Opioids and Narcotics

Over the years, I have seen the effects of drugs on a community. I have worked both undercover as a narcotics detective and also as a patrol K-9 narcotics handler. Narcotics interdiction is very important to me. As your current Undersheriff, I continue to fight the drug, problem and when elected Sheriff I will maintain this vigilance to protect our community from these deadly drugs, like fentanyl. As a Deputy Sheriff and Narcotics Detective, I have put many drug dealers behind bars and prevented large amounts of narcotics from entering our community. I will continue to battle this epidemic that is plaguing our country. I will continue to expand our special investigations squad, and will build partnerships with other organizations and agencies to battle the narcotics epidemic. I will also implement drug programs that educate our youth about the dangers of narcotics.

Opioids and Narcotics

Over the years, I have seen the effects of drugs on a community. I have worked both undercover as a narcotics detective and also as a patrol K-9 narcotics handler. Narcotics interdiction is very important to me. As your current Undersheriff, I continue to fight the drug, problem and when elected Sheriff I will maintain this vigilance to protect our community from these deadly drugs, like fentanyl. As a Deputy Sheriff and Narcotics Detective, I have put many drug dealers behind bars and prevented large amounts of narcotics from entering our community. I will continue to battle this epidemic that is plaguing our country. I will continue to expand our special investigations squad, and will build partnerships with other organizations and agencies to battle the narcotics epidemic. I will also implement drug programs that educate our youth about the dangers of narcotics.

Child Safety ID Kits

Children are our future. As a father and your future sheriff, I will continue to protect our children at any cost. The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office currently offers child safety ID kits. This program will remain in effect. Assistance in completing these child ID kits will be offered through the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.

Community Crime Mapping

As Undersheriff, statistical crime analysis is important. These statistics show us crime trends and areas where more focused enforcement may be needed. I’m often asked, “Are there bad areas in Sumter County” and “Where would be a good neighborhood to live.” The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office has a live crime-mapping system called Community Crime Map. This allows citizens to research and see police activity within the county and their communities. It has many features that allow the person using the crime map to specify what areas they want to see or what crimes they want to follow, including historical data of Sumter County. This map can be quickly accessed through either our agency website of the agency app.

Volunteer Programs

Volunteers are a great way to give back and stay in touch with the community. As your future sheriff and current undersheriff, I will continue to expand upon the current volunteer programs. I will also add more volunteer opportunities throughout various divisions of the agency.

Cold-Case Volunteers

The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office never wants a case to go unsolved. We currently have a cold-case unit that has extensive investigative backgrounds and psychological profile backgrounds. The cold case unit constantly reviews our cold cases to seek new leads and new technologies to solve these cases. I personally want to see justice served and closure for families of cold cases. These cases are taken very seriously and this unit is a unit that I will continue to expand. We are always looking for qualified volunteers who want to assist in these cases.

Seniors vs Crime

This is a organization that is funded and operates through the Attorney General’s Office. This program provides so many valuable tools to law enforcement and our senior citizens that have fell victim to crime. As your current Undersheriff, I currently fully support this program and work closely with it. As your future Sheriff, my commitment to this program will continue.