CANDIDATES FOR BROWARD COUNTY SHERIFF

H. WAYNE CLARK (REP)

BROWARD COUNTY SHERIFF CANDIDATES Q: As sheriff, how will you address public concern about excessive and unnecessary force used against the Black population?

JOSEPH M. GOLDNER (REP) RAYMOND L. HICKS (REP) SCOTT J. ISRAEL (DEM) WILLIE JONES (DEM) CASIMIRO NAVARRO (REP)

I believe this is a culture issue much more than a training issue, so I intend on addressing it from that perspective. We have to change the culture to one that officers believe in service, sacrifice and humility. Pick the right people, train them and address the culture issues with the agency.

AL POLLOCK (DEM) ANDREW MAURICE SMALLING (DEM)

I would have my deputies retrained in probable cause and proper arrest technique. I will also work in the communities with programs to improve relations in the community such as outreach programs and education. I would also bring in Chuck Norris and his farm program, plus other big names who love both the police and the community.

Excessive use of force will not be tolerated if I’m elected as Broward County sheriff. It’s a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment and title code USC 1983. The strategies I would implement to reduce police use of force within my department is to utilize deescalation tactics, verbalization, creating distance, time, space and tactical repositioning. Officers are legally justified to utilize force in situations to bring suspects to justice, protect others, and for personal defense.

EUGENE H. STEELE (REP)

When I became sheriff, it was my top priority to build a culture of trust, transparency, cooperation and communication. First, I expanded crisis intervention training, which included de-escalation techniques for all deputies. Next, I brought body cameras to BSO, which were essential in providing transparency for all deputy interactions. Simultaneously, we held community meetings that allowed for real time communications with the public. Moving forward, I believe civilian oversight of questionable deputy actions is necessary. GREGORY TONY (DEM)

• Cultural sensitivity and diversity • Intervention by fellow officers to stop the use of excessive force • Decision making under highly charged conditions • Verbal control and communication, including conflict resolution • Provide patrol de-escalation and defusing techniques • Provide anger management programs that use self-assessment and self-management techniques • New screening methods to evaluate candidates to examine such areas as a candidate’s decision making and problem-solving abilities and quality of interaction with others.

SANTIAGO C. VAZQUEZ JR. (DEM)

DID NOT RESPOND BY PRESS TIME

CHARLES E. WHATLEY (NPA)

Accountability and culture change are key to addressing excessive force. Under my leadership, BSO has the most diverse command staff in the agency’s history, has increased minority recruitment, reformed the system of discipline, launched a use of force review board, improved the early warning system to track and address use of excessive force and dedicated $1 million for Racial Equity and Implicit Bias training for BSO and all law enforcement officers in Broward County.

DID NOT RESPOND BY PRESS TIME DID NOT RESPOND BY PRESS TIME

As sheriff, I will enforce and maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards the use of excessive force. Immediately upon assuming office, my priority will be to change the culture of the organization by reviewing and revising all use of force policies. I will also implement a vigorous training program that will emphasize the use of minimum reasonable force necessary for an incident. I will also strongly advocate for the formation of an independent police oversight committee.

To protect black communities from excessive police violence, I propose forming Community Awareness Response Team (CART), a non-police task force that visits questionable interactions involving police. CART will be made up of local representatives from third-party organizations including members of the community and civil rights advocate groups like the ACLU. CART can be summoned onscene by officers or members of the public and will also play a role in overseeing disciplinary actions after the incident.

Other candidates will state more training, accountability and oversite. These things are important, but what leaders fail to state is that cops deal with violence on a daily basis. Over time, this has an effect on cops being desensitized, lacking in compassion. I will require mandatory mental health treatment for all employees on a continuous basis in hope of maintaining an atmosphere of compassion in the minds and hearts of all employees, plus more training.