Sheriff Tony lacked experience from the start

I look/read the articles about Sheriff Tony and just chuckle in amazement. I wonder how did he ever get to the position he is in.

If Gov. Ron DeSantis had taken any time to consider someone with any experience, clearly Sheriff Tony would not have been on anyone’s list of possibilities.

Unbelievable is the only word I can find to describe the situation. And the feeble attempts that Tony, his lawyer and “experts” use to try and defend his attempt to claim he was never arrested or charged for a murder; therefore he did not lie on an affidavit when he indicated “NO” as to having a record sealed. They are attempting to make a mockery of a system that is designed to prevent people like Tony from being a cop let alone the “Top Cop”.

Not to mention the sheriff ’s department is not just law enforcement. It is fire, corrections, communications, security at the airport and the port. What qualifications did Tony have for any of those areas. And what about leadership skills? It appears he has already failed at many levels concerning that area.

I worked over half my law enforcement career in management which included, in part, hiring of police officers. A friend once told me that, when looking for a good law enforcement candidate, look for anything to disqualify them, and if you can’t find anything, you probably have a good candidate. I take pride in many of the officers I have hired but admittedly there have been some mistakes. When those mistakes are discovered action must be taken to eliminate them.

Frankly, this entire situation and Sheriff Tony tarnishes the badges of every law enforcement officer who is or have performed in what should be considered one of the most honorable professions in America.

Philip Sweeting, St. Augustine Mr. Sweeting is a retired Boca Raton deputy police chief.