After serving 20 years as the county’s top law enforcement officer, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw is seeking a sixth term this year. To win, Bradshaw, a Democrat, will need to first earn his party’s nomination in the primary election Tuesday, Aug. 20.
Bradshaw faces a challenge from Alex Freeman, a career law enforcement officer who retired as a major from the Riviera Beach Police Department. Freeman has run unsuccessfully against Bradshaw twice before, in 2020 and 2016.
The winner of the Bradshaw-Freeman primary will face the winner of a Republican primary, also set for Aug. 20, between former Bradshaw ally Michael Gauger and Bradshaw’s 2020 general election opponent Lauro Diaz (click here for related story).
Ric Bradshaw — A fixture in Palm Beach County since his election as sheriff in 2004, Bradshaw was also well known locally for years before that.
“I am the current sheriff of Palm Beach County, and I previously served as chief of police for the City of West Palm Beach,” Bradshaw said. “In addition, I have been chairman of the Florida Sheriff’s Emergency Task Force for Region 7 and the Regional Domestic Security Task Force for Region 7.”
A retired member of the United States Marine Corps, he is a graduate of the Administrative Officers Course at the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville, and he holds a bachelor’s degree in human resources management and a master’s degree in administration specializing in emergency management.
Bradshaw has also served on the executive board of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Palm Beach County Chiefs of Police, the Law Enforcement Planning Council, the Police Executive Research Forum and the Florida Sheriffs.
“I am the most prepared, experienced and qualified choice to lead the sheriff’s office,” Bradshaw said. “As the head of Palm Beach County’s largest law enforcement agency, I have overseen six departments, 4,300 employees and roughly 1,500 volunteers. From community policing to homeland security, I’ve worked to ensure that Palm Beach County is one of the nation’s premier law enforcement agencies, and I have the experience needed to keep it that way.”
Among his top accomplishments as sheriff, Bradshaw noted that he launched mental health teams to provide services to those who need it; organized task forces and law enforcement strategies to bring down gangs, hunt down cyber predators and lock up human traffickers; implemented new technology, including a crime center that provides real-time information to law enforcement agencies and deputies on the street; and invested $13 million in confiscated funds from criminals to support local community programs for children, seniors and underserved communities. Bradshaw also noted that he is a national leader in implementing law enforcement best practices, including “tactical pause” training and body cameras.
His focus over the next four years would be on “homeland security improvements, enhancements to the mental health unit I started, community policing expansion and technology improvements to increase our ability to be more efficient across Palm Beach County.”
Bradshaw noted that under his leadership, the PBSO has been recognized as one of the nation’s most professional law enforcement agencies and that he has demonstrated his ability to effectively lead the agency.
“I am seeking re-election to continue the necessary work to keep Palm Beach County safe,” he said. “My focus is on achieving results that improve public safety, including the implementation of new mental health programs that provide essential services to the community and the upgrade of technology, such as the real-time crime center. The real-time crime center provides deputies with essential real-time information that is crucial in today’s connected world. We have also equipped deputies with body cameras to enhance transparency. Our task forces are targeting gangs, cyber predators and human traffickers. Additionally, my experience on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force contributes to protecting our county.”
To learn more about Bradshaw, visit www.ricbradshawforsheriff.com.
Alex Freeman — Freeman, who has run twice before for sheriff, has a long background in law enforcement.
“I have been certified as a police officer in the State of Florida for the past 31 years,” he said. “I rose through the ranks to deputy chief of police and chief of police in the City of Midway, Florida, and was the deputy chief of police in Jupiter Inlet Colony. I am a retired police major with the City of Riviera Beach.”
Freeman added that in 2002, he was named police officer of the year by Victim Services of Palm Beach County, and this month, he is set to receive a lifetime presidential achievement award from President Joe Biden.
“This is my third time running for this position. With my years of experience, I have prepared myself for this position being in law enforcement for this long,” Freeman said. “It is time for a new perspective, some fresh ideas and a new way of doing things.”
He pledges to be more fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars, which is not something he said that Bradshaw has been in recent years.
“Palm Beach County is in need of a sheriff who is going to be transparent, accountable and accessible to the voters, who ultimately serve as his employers, and I am the agent of change to do that,” Freeman said.
Once elected, he said he would need to identify all the changes necessary, and then would put a plan in place to address agency operations.
“I would do an analysis in each area before I can intelligently determine what I would change,” Freeman said.
He said his focus as sheriff would be to put programs in place to stop people from constantly being rearrested.
“We must focus on recidivism and how we keep Palm Beach County safe,” Freeman said. “We have to address those men and women who find themselves part of a revolving door at the Palm Beach County Jail.”
He plans to work with mentorship programs and training programs and get more employers to work with the sheriff’s office to hold job fairs.
“These people need to be gainfully employed,” he said. “We must change their mindsets and keep families together. The goal is to get them on the right track and make them productive citizens.”
This also makes financial sense, since the county spends more than $173 million each year to house inmates, Freeman said.
“We have to change the mindset to do things that are productive and save their lives,” he said.
He noted that Bradshaw has had health concerns in recent years, and that is another reason Freeman believes that voters should support his campaign.
“There is a huge concern for Bradshaw and his health,” Freeman said. “If he was to win a sixth term, the trepidation is that the governor could come in and appoint his successor. That is a huge concern for many voters in Palm Beach County.”
He also discussed recent revelations regarding expensive cars and bonuses for senior staff at the PBSO, adding that he would “save money for taxpayers.”
“We need to be more responsible with taxpayer dollars,” Freeman said. “It is time for a change and fresh, new ideas.”
To learn more about Freeman, visit www.alexfreemanforsheriff.com.
