Career
In 1972, Judd started working for the Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) as a dispatcher. [11] As the first employee under the age of 21 in the department, he was required to get his father to purchase his ammunition. [3] At age 27, he attained the rank of captain, supervising 44 employees, all of whom were older than he. [3] He was elected as the sheriff of Polk County in 2004, and re-elected in 2008, 2012, and 2016. [12]
In the 2020 election campaign, Judd ran unopposed. [13] [14] He was re-elected with over 80% of the vote in 2024 to a sixth term, becoming the first sheriff in Polk County to serve that many terms. [15] Judd served as an adjunct professor at the University of South Florida and Florida Southern College. [4]
Judd served as president of the Florida Sheriffs Association (2013–2014) [4] and president of the Major County Sheriffs of America (2018–2019). [4] He is a commissioner on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission. [16] Judd has served as an active member and Paul Harris Fellow of the Bartow Rotary Club since 1994, and as a member of the board of directors for the club from 1996 until 1999. [16]
Judd gained publicity as a sheriff with his "tell it how it is" demeanor. [12] In 2006, after a traffic stop resulted in a deputy and his K-9 dog shot and killed, deputies shot and killed the suspect, shooting him 68 times. Asked by a reporter about the number of shots, Judd responded, "That's all the bullets we had, or we would have shot him more." [17]
In 2020, Judd was appointed by U.S. president Donald Trump to serve a three-year term on the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. [18]
While the office of sheriff in Polk County is non-partisan, [19] Judd frequently endorses Republican political candidates. [20] In a 2022 news conference, Judd referred to Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis as the "greatest governor in the United States of America." [21]
In 2024, controversy emerged over allegations that PCSO detectives under his supervision dismissed reports of child sexual abuse, failing to take the victims’ claims seriously. [22] [23] Reports suggest that detectives, rather than investigating these claims thoroughly, accused some victims of lying, leading to charges against juveniles for false reporting while their alleged abusers remained free. Following additional evidence and further testimonies, some of these abusers have since been convicted, and sentences for lying have been overturned. [24]
In October 2024, a PCSO detective received a letter of retraining over the handling of a child sexual abuse report and was ordered to complete online training regarding interviews and interrogations. [25]
A lawsuit has been filed in October 2025 against Judd and the Polk County police department after a child sexual abuse victim was allegedly made to claim that the allegations were false and apologise to her rapist who was later found guilty after she was returned to his care. [26]
Undercover stings
In 2021, Judd led a six-month undercover investigation with the PCSO into drug sales on three LGBTQ dating apps: Grindr, Scruff, and Taimi, which led to 52 arrests. [27]
In February 2024, Judd led an eight-day long undercover investigation with the PCSO into human trafficking, which resulted in 228 arrests. [28]
In October 2024, Judd spearheaded a five-day long undercover investigation with the PCSO into human trafficking, which led to 157 arrests. [29]
Judd has worked with To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen on multiple stings to arrest predators suspected of soliciting minors for illegal activities. [30]
Elections
2004
Judd was elected Sheriff of Polk County in his first run for public office. Judd received 64% of the vote in a three-way non-partisan race, against attorney and former FBI special agent Kirk Warren (20%) and Polk deputy Pete Karashay (16%). [31]
Judd was preceded in office by Lawrence W. Crow, Jr. who served 17 years as sheriff and declined to run in 2004. Crow was appointed by Governor Bob Martinez in 1987 and served until Judd was sworn into office. [32]
2008
Judd was re-elected by defeating write-in candidate Michael Lashman. [33] Judd received 96% of the vote. Lashman received just under 4%. [34]
2012
Judd again faced write-in candidate Michael Lashman, a flooring contractor from Lakeland, in his third campaign for sheriff. Judd again won 96% of the vote, with 215,320 votes. [35]
2016
Judd ran for a fourth term of office in 2016 and was elected with 95.27% of the vote, compared to 4.7% for write-in ballots. [36]
2020
Judd ran for a fifth term of office in 2020 and was re-elected unopposed, making Judd the first sheriff in Polk’s 160-year history to be elected to five terms. [38]
2024
Judd ran for a sixth term of office in 2024 and was re-elected with just over 83% of the vote, making Judd the first sheriff in the history of Polk County to be elected to six terms. [39]
Reception and controversies
In 2025, YouTuber JiDion published a video showing that he confronted an adult male in Polk County, Florida, who he said had attempted to meet a minor. JiDion claimed that when he contacted the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to report the encounter, deputies declined to take immediate action to arrest the predator. His video further showing that one deputy referred to him using a racial slur (“the n-word,” hard-r) and accused him of being “money-hungry” and “fame-hungry.” [43] In a follow-up video, JiDion stated that senior officials from the Sheriff’s Office did not issue an apology or acknowledge wrongdoing, which he argued demonstrated a lack of accountability within the agency. [43]
Sheriff Grady Judd has been described by JiDion as defending the deputy’s conduct, though at present no independent reporting has confirmed an official statement from Judd addressing the incident. Sheriff Judd has publicly and repeatedly condemned the use of racial slurs by individuals in other unrelated incidents. [44] [45] For example, in a 2025 press conference, Judd criticized a Chicago police officer who was arrested for using a racial slur against a security guard, stating, "I bet the people of Chicago are not happy with him using racial slurs." [44] [46]
Polk County 
Sheriff