Grady Judd


Grady Judd is the current sheriff of Polk County, Florida.

Early life and education

Grady Judd was born Lakeland, Florida, in 1954. He earned both bachelor's and master's degrees from Rollins College, and has graduated from the FBI National Academy.

Career

Judd started working for the Polk County Sheriff's Office 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. At the age of 27, he attained the rank of captain, supervising 44 employees, all of whom were older than he. He was elected as the sheriff of Polk County in 2004, and re-elected in 2008, 2012, and 2016. Judd has served as an adjunct professor at both the University of South Florida and Florida Southern College.
Judd gained publicity as a sheriff with a "tell it how it is" demeanor. In 2006, when asked why his deputies shot a suspected cop killer 68 times, he responded "That's all the bullets we had."
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.”