Tag: Sheriff Judd

Sheriff Grady Judd Declares A ‘State of Emergency’ – Polk County Florida

By order of the Sheriff, there is a curfew in effect beginning at 10:00 p.m. this evening, Sunday, May 31, 2020, until 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, Monday, June 1, 2020. Please read the declaration:

DECLARATION OF LOCAL STATE OF EMERGENCY

WHEREAS, the past two days in Central Florida there have been incidents of rioting and civil unrest, felonious activity, and aggravated assaults upon law enforcement officers; and

WHEREAS, this afternoon May 31, 2020 at approximately 2:00 p.m. serious incidents have occurred in Lakeland and are on-going as of the time of declaring this local state of emergency, including threat of injury to civilians, aggravated assault and or battery to civilian(s), and aggravated assault on law enforcement officers. Thus far, participants are not dispersing as ordered by law enforcement officers and the activity is on-going.

WHEREAS, the Governor has not declared a State of Emergency.

WHEREAS, I have determined that there have been acts of violence or a flagrant and substantial defiance of, or resistance to, a lawful exercise of public authority and that, on account therefor, there is reason to believe that there exists a clear and present danger of a riot or other general public disorder, widespread disobedience of the law, and substantial injury to persons or to property, all of which constitute an imminent threat to public peace or order and to the general welfare of the affected jurisdiction.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT DECLARED, BY GRADY JUDD, SHERIFF, POLK COUNTY, FLORIDA:

Section 1. Incorporation of Recitals:
The Recitals above are hereby adopted and fully incorporated herein.

Section 2. Declaration of Local State of Emergency. Pursuant to 870.043, Florida Statutes there is hereby declared a Local State of Emergency within the boundaries of all of Polk County, Florida commencing at 10:00 p.m. on May 31, 2020 and continuing through June 1st, expiring at 5:00 a.m. June 1, 2020.

Section 3. Emergency Measures: Pursuant to 870.045, Florida Statutes a curfew is declared and imposed during the Local State of Emergency and all persons within Polk County, Florida are mandated to stay inside, with the exception of lawfully performing their job activities, including travel to and from said jobs, seeking medical care at a hospital, fire, police, and hospital services, including the transportation of patients thereto, utility emergency repairs, and emergency calls by physicians. Additionally, sale or other transfer of possession, with or without consideration, of gasoline is prohibited.

Section 4. Additional Automatic Emergency Measures: The additional acts specified in section 870.044, Florida States are prohibited automatically, due to the declaration of a state of local emergency.

Section 5: Violations: Violations of this Declaration of Local State of Emergency constitute a crime as outlined in Chapter 870, Florida Statutes and other Florida Statutes.

GRADY JUDD, POLK COUNTY SHERIFF
Date: May 31, 2020

Polk County on road to becoming 2nd Amendment sanctuary

Polk County Commission will consider becoming a sanctuary county for gun rights under the Second Amendment

Polk County, Florida – 2nd Amendment Sanctuary County

https://www.theledger.com/news/20191217/make-polk-gun-sanctuary-commission-will-look-into-it

Polk County Commissioner John Hall wants to make the county a Second Amendment sanctuary, part of a nationwide movement against proposed restrictive gun laws.

BARTOW – The Polk County Commission will consider becoming a sanctuary county for gun rights under the Second Amendment.

The commission on Tuesday instructed County Attorney Michael Craig to research the relevant law and to present his findings at a future meeting. Craig told The Ledger after the meeting he expects to complete his research and present his findings to the commission at its Jan. 3 or Jan. 17 agenda review meeting.

Commissioner John Hall requested Craig look into a sanctuary measure because he feels Second Amendment rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution are threatened by recent efforts for tighter restrictions on gun possession and ownership. Those efforts appear to be gaining momentum recently after well publicized mass shootings in recent years.

“Every time a deranged person picks up a gun and kills people, those of us who are legal gun owners come under attack,” Hall told The Ledger after the meeting. “We should defend the rights of our citizens on all constitutional rights.”

Other commissioners agreed to have Craig research this issue with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

Chairman Bill Braswell said he didn’t know whether such a sanctuary measure is necessary but agreed to have the commission look at Craig’s findings. Commissioners Martha Santiago and Rick Wilson agreed.

“I think of this as political theater,” Commissioner George Lindsey said. “This seems to be a solution looking for a problem.”

The Second Amendment sanctuary movement appears to have gained momentum as a backlash against the movement for more restrictive gun laws.

In Virginia, for example, more than 40 local governments passed such measures after control of its legislature passed from Republicans to Democrats last month, according to a Dec. 11 story in USA Today. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has said he would support measures such as universal background checks for gun purchases, limits on the sale of certain types of firearms and a so-called “red flag” law allowing authorities to take guns from persons posing a danger to themselves or others, as determined by a court.

The various sanctuary measures adopted so far vary widely in scope and impact, according to internet research by The Ledger.

Some measures, such as a resolution passed by the Lake County Commission on Nov. 5, go no further than declaring the county a Second Amendment sanctuary and its support for those rights. The Ledger obtained a copy of that resolution.

Other measures go a step further and declare county officials will not cooperate with federal or state law enforcement authorities carrying out gun restrictions they consider unconstitutional.

That’s similar to the stance taken by some local governments over cooperating with federal officials enforcing immigration laws considered too harsh or illegal. That gave rise to the term “sanctuary city” or county.

Most Second Amendment sanctuary measures fall along these lines.

But a few, including some Virginia localities, declare their right to nullify any state or federal gun laws they consider unconstitutional, according to a Dec. 11 article on the news site Slate.com.

Hall told The Ledger he favored a nullification measure if the Legislature or Congress passed a gun law he considered unconstitutional.

He would not advocate nullifying a law found constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, Hall said.

“The Supreme Court will be the ultimate decider of the Constitution,” he said.

Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said he was a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and advocates that citizens carry concealed weapons through the state’s licensing process.”

But he said he could not support a local law that instructed him to ignore state and federal gun laws.

“State and federal laws always supersede a county ordinance,” Judd told The Ledger. “What I would do as a law enforcement officer is enforce the laws of the state of Florida and the United States of America.”

Judd said he has reviewed dozens of Second Amendment sanctuary laws across the country and agreed they fall along the three categories outlined above.

Hall distinguished between Second Amendment and immigration sanctuary measures because the latter involved people breaking the law to enter and reside in the U.S., he said.

GUARDIAN TRAINING – GUARDIAN PROGRAM

Similar names – Different programs. Different entities.

Similar names – Different programs. Different entities.

Shield Gray 02

The name “Guardian Training Program” as it pertains to security, self-defense or firearms training in POLK COUNTY was first coined by In-Gauge of Polk County. 

For the record, the term/name “Guardian Training Program” (in Polk County, Florida) was coined by In-Gauge of Polk County, Inc. in December of 2017.

Prior to Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s recent use of the name “Guardian Program” the name was the “Sentinel Program“.  During the 2018 Legislative Session and when Senate Bill 7026, the Marjorie Stoneman Douglass High School Public Safety Act, was signed into law by Governor Scott, on March 9, 2018, it was termed the “school marshal” program.

In an effort to avoid confusion and to set the record straight, In-Gauge of Polk County announced its “Guardian Training” in December of 2017.  See the links below.

https://ingaugeofpolkcounty.com/tag/guardian-training/

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/448203/in-gauge-of-polk-county-announces-church-guardian-training

https://ingaugeofpolkcounty.com/2018/03/30/accelerated-guardian-training/

By no stretch of the imagination is this announcement intended to demean the Polk County Sheriff’s Office or the Polk County School Board.

Rather, it is the intent of this publication to clarify that the “Guardian Program” offered by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the “Guardian Training” provided by In-Gauge of Polk County are two entirely separate and distinct training programs that have in no way any relationship to one another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guardian Program, Guardian Training, Polk County, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, school security, Polk County School Board, teacher security training