Opinion: Why I Support Todd Maddox For Sheriff
Letter To The Editor:
After working with
the candidates during my 16 1/2 years in law enforcement, I spoke to them about
their ambitions, vision and qualifications for this all important
position. After doing so, I am supporting Todd Maddox in his run for
Sheriff of Brevard County because of his overall experience and service to the
citizens of Brevard County for the last 22 years of his total 26 years in law
enforcement. Todd's experience and exposure is vast as he has served in the
following capacities: Deputy Sheriff, General Crimes Agent, Homicide Agent,
Patrol Sergeant, Investigative Sergeant, Patrol Lieutenant, Lieutenant of the
Special Operations Division, SWAT Team Member, Hostage Negotiator, Commander of
the Hostage Negotiation Team, Commander of the Emergency Response Team and
Public Information Officer (a position that must receive command endorsement).
It is important to note that
he has served in these positions while in the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office,
the office for which they are all running.
As such, Todd
Maddox has been there for the community and has responded to the citizen’s homes
in times of need, investigated and arrested robbery and burglary suspects,
locked up sexual predators that prey on our children and successfully investigated homicides, thus bringing closure to countless
families. Todd continued to serve the community by further placing himself in
harm’s way as he tackled Brevard’s most violent situations as a S.W.A.T. Team
member. Todd later transitioned to
Commander over the Hostage Negotiation Team. It was during that role that he
successfully ended a very volatile hostage situation, again in this very same
community. As a supervisor, he managed and coordinated the recovery
efforts in Barefoot Bay as they bounced back from devastating storms. As a
matter of fact, it was while serving our community that Todd received one of the
highest recognitions we can bestow on an employee, the honor of being Deputy
Sheriff of the Year.
It is very easy for any candidate to say that they are the better manager, better administrator and one who handles budgets and a whole different thing to actually be an administrator and manager. The reason I say this is no matter what the title may have been, it is important to note that no other candidate except for Todd Maddox has risen over the 1st level of supervision despite some of the candidates having more than 30 years of law enforcement experience. The fact is no other candidate except Todd Maddox actually supervises other supervisors and by job title / description and duties, is considered Middle Management. Before his division was dissolved and his schedule changed, Todd managed nearly 170 employees within the Special Operations division to include Bomb Squad, Motor Unit, Reserve Unit and others, including approximately 12 other supervisors. This obviously begs the question as to what true leadership / managerial skills do any of the other candidates have if they themselves, after so many years of service, could they not go past the very first level of supervision or achieve a higher position?
The
Brevard County Sheriff’s Office serves nearly 600,000 citizens and has over
1,200 employees. The position of
Sheriff is too important to not choose what is, when compared apples to apples
and oranges to organges, the best qualified candidate given their experience and
position. It’s
because of this that it is clear to me Todd Maddox is the only one that has
proven, tested leadership and administrative skills along with the firsthand,
hands-on experience that can only be gained by working within the agency for the
last 22 years. Couple this with the
support of the majority of the department (a conservative 70% as stated by
multiple staff members), I am backing Todd. With his current
position of middle management, he is open to change for the betterment of the
agency and the safety for the citizens while at the same time running the agency
in an efficient, cost effective manner.
Sincerely,
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