Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd’s career has had its share of controversies that made him a sometimes polarizing figure. One sticking point with some residents has been his adamant opposition to equipping his deputies or their patrol cars with cameras, saying it’s an invasion of privacy, costs too much, and that most people in the general public have a camera on their phone to record law enforcement interactions. More
One of Deputy Grady Judd’s early arrests came the night of the sheriff’s office Christmas party in the mid-1970s, when he saved the Baby Jesus. More
On the sweltering summer evening of July 21, 1972, a tall, skinny, 18-year-old – sporting a mustache because it “made him look older” — walked into the Bartow headquarters of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on Broadway Avenue and started his first official night shift in the communications office, answering emergency calls for help as one of only about 150 employees of then-Sheriff Monroe Brannen. More
A 39-year-old man was arrested after he left and then returned to the scene of a collision that resulted in the death of a 46-year-old motorcyclist on South Florida Avenue, according to the Lakeland Police Department. More
A court case involving a loaded handgun found inside a student’s backpack at Kathleen High School in May will help define the parameters of Florida’s “red flag law,” Sheriff Grady Judd told The Ledger. The Polk Sheriff’s Office has used the 2018 law 858 times to seize weapons from people deemed by a judge to be a threat to themselves or others. The KHS case is one of 99 PCSO requests for protective order that were denied by judges, and the first one that Judd is appealing to a higher court.
When two vehicles crashed near his workplace on U.S. 92, Publix employee Glenn Chancey helped control the flames and pull a trapped victim from one of the vehicles. His efforts earned him recognition from the Lakeland Fire Department today, News Channel 8 reports. “From what we understand about the call, him being able to get that person out of that vehicle, the vehicle that was on fire, more than likely saved that person’s life,” Fire Chief Doug Riley said. | Photos: LFD Facebook
A social media firestorm erupted on Independence Day after a mom posted a video of her 13-year-old daughter being arrested by Lakeland police for using a megaphone at a pro-choice rally in Munn Park. The video gained traction well beyond Lakeland when it was tweeted by Nikki Fried, a Democratic candidate for governor of Florida. More
Polk Sheriff’s Lt. Duane Tompkins, who was first to a north Lakeland massacre scene, was recognized Tuesday as Deputy of the Year by a coalition of Lakeland service organizations. Presidents’ Roundtable service awards also went to nearly a dozen other local first responders, Fox 13 News reports. ALSO: News Channel 8 More
Lakeland Fire Department administrators unfairly retaliated against the president of an employee union, a hearing examiner for the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission ruled Thursday. The city was ordered to rescind a reprimand to the union president and transfer two lieutenants to their previous stations, The Ledger reports. The city has 15 days to file any objections and is reviewing the 44-page order before deciding next steps. | Hearing officer’s order
A resident of Heatherwood Village Mobile Home Park on Harden Boulevard was pulled from her burning home by a neighbor Friday morning before firefighters arrived and put out the fire, News Channel 8 reports. The woman, the home’s only resident, was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital, and the neighbor was treated locally for smoke inhalation. No identities were released. No firefighters were injured. | LFD Facebook post
