“America’s Toughest Sheriff” Grady Judd Blasts Chicago P.D.
As a resident of Florida, I am quite familiar with Sheriff Grady Judd, who is often referred to as “America’s Toughest Sheriff.” In our state, Sheriff Judd is thought of as a sort of modern-day Buford Pusser, who served as the sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1970 and as the constable of Adamsville from 1970 to 1972. Pusser’s time in office inspired several books, songs, and, most notably, the movie “Walking Tall.”
Judd is recognized for his straightforward and outspoken approach as the Sheriff of Polk County. He is known for his relentless pursuit of justice, particularly through public statements and major operations aimed at combating human trafficking and other crimes. Additionally, he is praised for his effective communication with both the media and the community, his efforts to reduce crime rates, and his leadership within law enforcement organizations.
Known for his no-nonsense approach, he was infuriated when he learned that the Chicago Police Department was ordered to stand down, leaving ICE without backup when protesters attacked them. The ambush consisted of a convoy of roughly ten vehicles, described by officials as a “coordinated assault.”
The confrontation began when Marimar Martinez, a known agitator with a history of doxxing ICE agents online, allegedly rammed her vehicle into an ICE patrol unit while brandishing a semi-automatic weapon.
Outnumbered and feeling trapped, the agents were compelled to exit their vehicles and fire warning shots, hitting Martinez in the shoulder.
Martinez fled the scene and later checked into Mount Sinai Hospital before being taken into FBI custody. Another suspect, Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, was arrested and is currently in federal detention.
Fortunately, no federal officers sustained life-threatening injuries; however, several CBP agents were treated for minor injuries following the assault.
Despite emergency calls made by the agents, Chicago police officers did not respond due to a direct “no response” order from their command.
An audio recording captured the moment when units were in route to the scene and were waved off. The dispatcher stated, “I’m waving off all of the cars heading to 39th Place in Kedzie,” while another person remarked, “Those are the orders we’re giving.”
John Garrido, a Chicago attorney and former police lieutenant at Garrido & Stoppa, P.C., expressed his concerns on social media, calling the stand-down directive “deeply disturbing and possibly illegal.”
Yesterday, Judd released a video statement condemning the Chicago Police Department’s dangerous actions.
“Hello, I’m Sheriff Grady Judd. I’ve spent my entire adult life in law enforcement, and I have never heard of one law enforcement agency not helping another when they call for help until this weekend when a chief of patrol, where the Chicago Police Department, instructed the police officers not to run in and help their colleagues who were calling for help, who were under attack by a bunch of people clearly violating the law.
That’s scary. Let me give you the antithesis of that. We had a single man resist ICE agents and get away from them in our community. We sent a helicopter, a drone, canine, and 50 law enforcement officers to surround an area, and we found that guy who violently resisted ICE, and we locked him up in jail where he should have been.
If you allow anarchists and criminals to run wild in your community, people will die. People will be shot.
Now, let me say this. For other law enforcement leaders across this state and nation, you need to be standing up, saying the same exact thing that I am. Because when you have a breakdown of the rule of law, when you allow anarchists, criminals to take over the streets and attack law enforcement officers, and then not send them help, that’s a slippery slope, a real slippery slope.”
I’m willing to bet that the proud men and women who serve on the Chicago P.D. would have rushed in to help ICE, had their supervisors not ordered them to stand down. I’m also willing to bet that those officers would love to serve with Sheriff Judd.
This clearly illustrates the differences between those who believe in law and order and those who advocate for anarchy. ICE officers are protecting the legal citizens of the United States by removing those who are here illegally.
These men and women are our fellow countrymen, and Chicago officials turned their backs on them to appease the horrific actions of domestic terrorists.
This is your leadership, Chicago. Surely, you can do better than this.
