Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has built a reputation as one of the most straight-talking law enforcement officials in the country.
The Florida Sheriff never hesitates to call out criminals, politicians, or anyone else who threatens public safety.
And Sheriff Grady Judd dropped one hard truth about Chicago that left Democrats fuming.
Chicago Police ordered to abandon federal agents under attack
This past Saturday, Border Patrol agents working near a federal facility found themselves in a nightmare scenario when anti-ICE protesters began ramming their vehicles and trapping them with approximately 10 cars.¹
The federal agents did exactly what any law enforcement officer would do – they radioed for immediate backup from Chicago police.
But what happened next reveals everything wrong with how Democrats run their cities.
Chicago police dispatch sent out instructions telling officers not to respond to help the federal agents who were under attack.²
Let that sink in for a moment.
Federal law enforcement officers were literally under attack, surrounded by a violent mob, and Chicago’s police leadership told their own officers to stand down and let it happen.
Sheriff Judd exposes the dangerous breakdown of law and order
When Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd learned about Chicago’s shocking abandonment of federal agents, he didn’t hold back his disgust.
"I have never heard of one law enforcement agency not helping another when they call for help, until this weekend," Sheriff Judd declared.³
The veteran Florida sheriff called the situation frightening and warned about where this leads.
"That’s scary. When you have a breakdown of the rule of law, when you allow anarchist 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," Judd explained.
The Florida sheriff then demonstrated how real law enforcement agencies handle these situations by describing a recent incident in his own county.
When one person violently fought back against ICE agents in Polk County, Sheriff Judd immediately mobilized overwhelming force to help.
"We sent a helicopter, a drone, K-9 unit, and 50 law enforcement officers to surround the area, and we found that guy who violently resisted ICE, and we locked him up in jail where he should have been," the sheriff recounted.⁴
https://twitter.com/PolkCoSheriff/status/1975299488152756537
That’s the difference between a sheriff who actually believes in law and order versus Democrat politicians who use law enforcement as a political weapon.
The real story behind Chicago’s official lies
The Chicago Police Department attempted to spin their way out of this scandal with a carefully worded statement.
Officials claimed their officers were on scene for "manage public safety and traffic control" purposes.⁵
But veteran Chicago cops weren’t buying the department’s official line.
Two senior police sources contacted Fox News to set the record straight, calling the department’s public statement "false" and revealing that internal communications told "a very different story."
The reality was far more dangerous than Chicago officials wanted to admit.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin revealed that at least one of the drivers attacking federal vehicles was carrying a semi-automatic weapon, which forced the agents to fire shots in self-defense.⁶
This wasn’t protesters exercising their First Amendment rights – this was an armed assault on federal law enforcement that Chicago’s leadership chose to enable rather than stop.
Judd warns other sheriffs to stand up against the chaos
Sheriff Judd didn’t limit his criticism to just Chicago’s failures.
He delivered a direct challenge to every law enforcement leader across America who claims to support their fellow officers.
"If you allow anarchists and criminals to run wild in your community, people will die," Judd warned other sheriffs and police chiefs.⁷
The Florida sheriff demanded that his colleagues speak out against Chicago’s dangerous precedent before it spreads to other cities.
"You need to be standing up, saying these same exact thing that I am. When you have a breakdown of the rule of law? When you allow anarchist criminals to take over the streets and attack law enforcement officers and then not send them help," Sheriff Judd declared.
The timing of this incident couldn’t be more revealing.
President Trump has deployed National Guard troops to Chicago to help restore order after years of Democrat mismanagement turned the city into a war zone.
Instead of welcoming federal help to protect their own citizens, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker are fighting Trump’s efforts every step of the way.
Johnson even signed an executive order ordering resistance to ICE operations – essentially telling his city to obstruct federal immigration enforcement.
This is what happens when radical leftist ideology takes priority over basic public safety.
For folks who work for a living and expect their tax dollars to pay for actual law enforcement, this should make you furious.
Sheriff Judd gets it – when police officers are under attack, you send help immediately, regardless of what agency they work for or what political game is being played.
But in Chicago, Democrat leaders would rather see federal agents get hurt than cooperate with Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts.
That’s not just wrong – it’s dangerous for every law-abiding citizen who depends on law enforcement to keep them safe.
The good news is that there are still sheriffs like Grady Judd who aren’t afraid to call out this madness and demand better from their fellow law enforcement leaders.
¹ Michelle Vecerina, "Sheriff Grady Judd slams Chicago Police for withholding aid to federal agents under attack," Florida News, October 7, 2025.
² – ⁷ Ibid.
