Ric Bradshaw is an easy call

For someone who claims to dislike politics, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has made himself into a political force.

Bradshaw is seeking his fifth term in the Aug. 18 Democratic primary. He has raised $680,000 compared to roughly $27,000 for his challenger, Alex Freeman. Bradshaw got an early $5,000 from the Police Benevolent Association, so he also has the powerful union’s backing.

Since winning his first term in 2004, Bradshaw has not faced a credible opponent. He got 66 percent of the vote four years ago against three challengers, avoiding a runoff. In a majority-Democratic county, Bradshaw is a Democrat who enjoys support from key Republicans.

Bradshaw did not exaggerate during his interview with the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board that the department he took over 16 years ago was “pretty much in shambles.” The previous sheriff was an incompetent leader who favored buying expensive toys — such as the law enforcement version of an armored personnel carrier — over maintaining public safety.

Under Bradshaw, who had been police chief in West Palm Beach, standards increased quickly. He said the department is now “nationally recognized.”

Bradshaw serves on regional task forces that deal with homeland security and emergency management. His office provides the local security detail when President Trump visits Mar-a-Lago. Bradshaw has helped to secure reimbursement for those expenses.

During the last few weeks, demonstrations locally and nationwide have called attention to the issue of law enforcement reform. In some ways, Bradshaw has been ahead of this curve.

Bradshaw has formed seven “mental health teams,” consisting of a deputy and a social worker. As he puts it, “I should not be the largest mental health provider in the county.” He’s talking about the county jail, which the sheriff ’s office runs. A recent case from Baltimore illustrates the potential benefits of mental health teams. Police officers shot a man who was going through what the report described as a “behavioral health crisis.” A review concluded that there had a been “total failure” of the system. If he is reelected, Bradshaw proposes to double the number of mental health teams.

Similarly, when Bradshaw ran four years ago, the office faced a wave of lawsuits from deputy-involved shootings. He changed training to include a “tactical pause” designed to de-escalate confrontations and leave more distance between the deputy and a suspect. Shootings have declined significantly.

In other areas, however, Bradshaw has not embraced reform.

Deputies still do not wear body cameras. Bradshaw notes the expense of servers to store all the footage from 2,500 cameras, adding that he already cut 10 percent from his original budget proposal for next year.

But Bradshaw never has been shy about pushing a big budget and has noted that sheriffs can ask the governor to overrule county commissions. If he really wanted body cameras – which are not failsafe, but can protect deputies and suspects – the department would have them.

Similarly, Bradshaw has resisted the push to issue civil citations, rather than make an arrest, for offenses such as a marijuana possession. During our interview, he seemed more concerned about the potential loss of evidence from a search than the idea of harming someone’s life over a potentially needless arrest.

Finally, we must mention the case of Jeffrey Epstein. The late sex trafficker served only 13 months of his ridiculously light, 18-month sentence in the Palm Beach County Jail on work release. Deputies escorted him to a sham office. Reports of the treatment drew national scorn.

While acknowledging “the optics are real bad,” Bradshaw said it “really wasn’t a big thing” at the time. “I had no idea who he was.”

Bradshaw noted that he has since abolished work release. Asked about the criminal investigation of Epstein’s jail time that Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered, Bradshaw said, “I don’t know.”

Given what we now know, this is a poor response. Though the sheriff ’s office had no role in the sentencing, multiple news reports have shown that Epstein was treated more like a guest than an inmate.

These last comments might sound as if this is a tepid endorsement. It is not. Bradshaw is a career cop who, even in such a powerful post, retains the beat cop’s wish to protect the neighborhood. His message to voters: “Who do you trust to keep you safe?”

The contrast with his opponent is stark. Freeman was a major in the Riviera Beach Police Department, which at the time was one of the county’s worst. He got fired, though he got his job back after a hearing. More recently, news reports linked Freeman to the firing of a Riviera Beach city manager in an attempt to become chief. Freeman denied the allegations.

Under Bradshaw, the department has come far. We hope that four more years will bring even more progress. The Sun Sentinel endorses Ric Bradshaw for Palm Beach County sheriff.

Under Bradshaw, the department has come far. We hope that four more years will bring even more progress.

Bradshaw