View source for Judd, Grady

{{Agent page
|name=Grady Judd
|agency=[[ICE]]
|role=[[Local Law Enforcement]]
|field_office=[[Polk County]]
|state=[[Florida]]
|status=Active
|image=GradyJudd.jpg
|verification=Verified
|summary=Long-time Polk County sheriff and a central figure in Florida’s ICE collaboration ecosystem. Known for extreme rhetoric, heavy-handed policing tactics, and repeated political advocacy for hard-right officials.
}}
= Grady Judd =



== Overview ==
Grady Curtis Judd Jr. is the long-serving Sheriff of Polk County, Florida, holding the office since January 2005. Judd is one of the most outspoken and politically active sheriffs in Florida, regularly promoting aggressive policing strategies and publicly aligning himself with Republican state and national figures.

Although the sheriff’s office is officially “non-partisan,” Judd is firmly embedded within Florida’s pro-ICE infrastructure. Under his leadership, Polk County has maintained deep operational alignment with federal immigration enforcement, participating in statewide 287(g) frameworks and positioning itself as a dependable partner for ICE operations.

Judd is also known for a long history of inflammatory public statements, including defending excessive-force incidents and using media appearances to push a narrative of punitive policing.

== Collaboration With ICE ==
Polk County has been a major Florida hub for immigration enforcement cooperation, especially under statewide mandates imposed through the governor's office. Judd has consistently supported these partnerships and publicly defended expanded ICE authority. His office routinely assists federal agents during raids, stings, traffic stops, and detainer-based arrests.

In 2025, Judd was selected to chair Florida’s newly created **State Immigration Enforcement Council**, a body designed to further systematize local–federal collaboration.

== Controversies ==
=== Mishandling of Child Sexual Abuse Reports (2024) ===
In 2024, serious allegations emerged that Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) detectives—operating under Judd’s leadership—had repeatedly **dismissed or disbelieved reports of child sexual abuse**. Victims reported being accused of lying, threatened with charges, and in multiple cases actually charged with “false reporting.” Several alleged perpetrators remained free for extended periods despite credible disclosures.

Subsequent evidence and testimony later overturned some of these “lying” charges, and multiple accused abusers were eventually convicted. At least one PCSO detective received formal retraining following the scandal. Advocates and legal experts have cited the case as evidence of a culture that prioritizes institutional reputation over victim protection.

=== Excessive-Force Commentary ===
Judd gained national attention in 2006 when deputies shot and killed a suspect 68 times. When asked about the extreme number of rounds, Judd stated: *“That’s all the bullets we had, or we would have shot him more.”* The remark has been widely criticized as emblematic of a punitive and flippant approach to use of force.

=== Political Advocacy ===
Judd frequently uses his position to endorse Republican candidates, including openly praising Governor Ron DeSantis as the “greatest governor in the United States of America.” In 2020, former President Donald Trump appointed him to the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

His political activities—alongside his ICE collaboration—have positioned him as a national example of a sheriff’s office tightly aligned with far-right policy priorities.