Mike Chitwood | |
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Born | November 1963 [1] |
Nationality | American |
Known for | Police reform, anti-Nazi activity |
Political party | Independent |
Parent |
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Michael Jude Chitwood [2] (born November 1963) [1] is an American law enforcement officer who currently serves as the sheriff of Volusia County, Florida.
Chitwood served as chief of police in the Daytona Beach Police Department from 2006 to 2016. He became the sheriff of Volusia County in 2017, after which he conducted police reform with the goal of reducing use-of-force and bias among officers. In 2023, he was targeted by antisemitic activists inside and outside the state of Florida following his statements denouncing the anti-Jewish hate group Goyim Defense League.
Chitwood is the son of Mike Chitwood Sr., a former chief of police from the city of Portland, Maine. [3] [4] He served as a lieutenant in the Philadelphia Police Department and joined the Daytona Beach Police Department as police chief in 2006, where he worked for ten years until he was elected Volusia County sheriff in 2016. He subsequently assumed office in 2017. [3] [4] [5]
Chitwood began implementing reformist measures in Volusia County in January 2017. Since then, he implemented classes on police bias and de-escalation techniques. He also deemphasized weapon proficiency in the training of new recruits and gave "tactical de-escalation" medals to deputies who used non-violent tactics to resolve conflict. [3] [6] According to NBC, the frequency of deputies' use-of-force in the county fell from 122 to 65 between 2017 and 2019. [7] During the same period, the annual number of arrests fell to 9,370, representing a 30% decrease. [8]
In 2020, Chitwood implemented a crisis intervention training for new officers in Volusia County with the goal of decreasing use-of-force and "warrior mentality" in police operations. The project was influenced by Scottish police reform group Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). [7] [8] [9]
In the same period, he equipped detectives and the SWAT team of Volusia County with body cameras. In his response to a survey conducted by PERF, he advocated for an extended role of police outside law-enforcement in order to increase public trust in police officers. [10]
Early in 2023, following a spike of antisemitic activity in Florida, with anti-Jewish banners being held by neo-Nazi group Goyim Defense League at the Daytona International Speedway, Chitwood began addressing the group on press conferences and social media. [11] [12] [4] [13]
In a February news conference, he called the Goyim Defense League "a radical group of scumbags" and announced plans to erect a billboard in Georgia featuring one of its members' mugshot. He also called neo-Nazi activist Jon Minadeo, who had distributed antisemitic flyers in the state and called a Black police officer a "nigger" in West Palm, a "failed actor, failed rapper and failed dishwasher". Following Chitwood's statements on the group, members of Goyim Defense League started distributing flyers displaying a picture of Chitwood wearing a bikini top. The picture was originally taken at a Daytona beach Jokey fashion show to raise money to combat breast cancer. [11] [4]
Subsequently, police agencies started investigating anonymous death threats made against Chitwood on 4chan. The investigations initially resulted in the arrests of three people outside the state of Florida, one of whom was in possession of firearms and ammunition. [11] [4] In late 2023, an Alaskan double-murder suspect was indicted by a grand jury after allegedly threatening to "blind and kill" Chitwood. [14] [15] In total, six men have been arrested in 2023 over alleged threats directed at the sheriff. [16]
Chitwood is a registered independent and religious Catholic. He voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 and 2020 United States presidential elections [4] and has expressed support for Ron DeSantis. [17] Chitwood disavowed Trump after the January 6 United States Capitol attack. [4]
Chitwood has made positive remarks about Black Lives Matter and has been supportive of the Blue Lives Matter movement. [4] He has been endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. [3] Chitwood has been described as "pro-immigrant" and "pro-gun" by a PBS piece. [18]
Volusia County is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an increase of 11.9% from the 2010 census. It was founded on December 29, 1854, from part of Orange County, and was named for the community of Volusia, located in northwestern Volusia County. Its first county seat was Enterprise. Since 1887, its county seat has been DeLand.
Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area, and is a principal city of the Fun Coast region of Florida.
Deltona is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Monroe. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 93,692. It is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 685,344 people in 2021. It is the third largest city in the Greater Orlando combined statistical area.
John Henry Rutherford is an American politician and former police officer serving as the U.S. representative from Florida's 5th congressional district since 2017. His district encompasses most of Jacksonville and most of its suburbs in Nassau and St. Johns counties, including St. Augustine.
The 2006 Florida gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Governor Jeb Bush was term-limited, and could not run for reelection to a third consecutive term. The election was won by then-Republican Charlie Crist, the state's Attorney General. The election was notable in that for the first time, the state elected a Republican governor in three consecutive elections.
Daytona State College (DSC) is a public college with its main campus in Daytona Beach, Florida. DSC also has 6 smaller regional campuses throughout Volusia and Flagler counties. It is part of the Florida College System.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal is a Florida daily newspaper serving Volusia and Flagler Counties.
Kim Crane Hammond was a judge in Flagler County, Florida and was a quarterback for Florida State University. For Seminole fans, he is best remembered for quarterbacking the team's first victory over rival Florida in Gainesville, 21–16. Hammond died on Sunday, July 16, 2017, after suffering from illnesses for several years.
The Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in central and the north portions of Florida consisting of Volusia and Flagler counties in the state of Florida. As of 2013, it is the 88th-largest MSA in the United States, with a census-estimated population of 600,756.
The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) is a national membership organization of police executives primarily from the largest city, county and state law enforcement agencies in the United States. The organization is dedicated to improving policing and advancing professionalism through research and involvement in public policy debate. Since its founding in 1976 with support and funding from the Police Foundation, it has fostered debate, research and an openness to challenging traditional police practices. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The Granada Bridge is a high-clearance bridge that spans the Halifax River and Intracoastal Waterway, linking the mainland and beach peninsula parts of Ormond Beach, Volusia County, Florida. Granada Bridge carries four lanes of State Road 40 and Granada Blvd. The Casements, along with City Hall Plaza, Fortunato Park, and Riverbridge Park reside at the four corners of Ormond Beach's Granada Bridge, which give their collective name to the annual "Four Corners Festival" in Ormond Beach.
The Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for Daytona Beach, Florida. Its current chief of police is Jakari Young.
Jason Todd Ready was an American marine, founder and leader of a border militia group and a member of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement who sought the elected office of sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona. On May 2, 2012, at Ready's home in Gilbert, Arizona, he shot and killed his girlfriend, her daughter and granddaughter, the daughter's fiancé and himself.
Christopher Charles Cantwell, also known as the Crying Nazi, is an American white supremacist, neo-Nazi, and antisemitic conspiracy theorist.
Joseph Randall Biggs is an American veteran, media personality, organizer of the Proud Boys, and convicted felon for his participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
The Goyim Defense League (GDL) is an antisemitic hate group and conspiracy theory network of individuals who are active on social media websites and operate an online video platform called GoyimTV. The GDL also performs banner drops, papering neighborhoods with flyers, and other stunts to harass Jews. The GDL emerged in 2018 and is led by the antisemitic provocateur Jon Minadeo II. GDL is currently tracked by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group.
Sara-Nicole Morales was shot and killed in the front yard of her mother's house in Orange City, Florida, United States. While returning home from her job at a Volusia County library, she had become embroiled in a road rage incident with a local motorcyclist, during which she had intentionally struck his vehicle with hers, an act witnessed by two nearby motorists. The three notified police and followed her to the house, where she confronted them with her fiancé's pistol. The motorcyclist drew his own gun and shot her five times.
Jon Eugene Minadeo II, also known as Handsome Truth, is an American antisemitic conspiracy theorist, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and former rapper. He is the leader of the antisemitic hate group and conspiracy theory network Goyim Defense League (GDL). He is known for his video platform GoyimTV, banner drops, and his distribution of neo-Nazi propaganda.