News and Investigations

News & Investigations

News Releases and Public Information

Welcome to the Polk County Sheriff's Office News Room, where the Public Information Officers (PIO's) post all of the information that they release to the news media. PIO's act as liaisons between news media organizations and the Sheriff's Office. The PIO's routinely release timely and accurate information and Crime Stoppers bulletins, and respond to routine and "breaking news" media inquiries. News releases and Crime Stoppers information can be found on this page.

PCSO's full-time Public Information Officers are Brian Bruchey, Carrie Horstman, and Meghan Petty. The Public Information Officers can be reached by sending an e-mail collectively at PIOs@polksheriff.org.

The recent news releases sent out by the PIOs can be found here, and archived releases (older than 2017) can be found here.

Feb 9, 2022

Sheriff Grady Judd is named the Major County Sheriffs of America’s Sheriff of the Year

Media Contact: Alicia Manautou, PIO

On Tuesday, February 8, 2022, Sheriff Grady Judd was awarded the inaugural Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA) Sandra S. Hutchens Sheriff of the Year award.

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens (Orange County, CA) served as the MCSA President during Sheriff Judd’s term as the Association’s Vice-President. She unfortunately passed away in 2021 following a long battle with breast cancer.

MCSA President Sheriff Dennis Lemma presented the award during the 2022 Winter Conference annual awards ceremony held in Washington, D.C., for Sheriff Judd’s “steady leadership, mentorship, and friendship at the helm of MCSA [which] gave this association a visionary foundation for growth to ‘Lead the Way’ in the profession of law enforcement.”

"I was humbled and honored to receive the very first Sheriff Sandra Hutchens MCSA Sheriff of the Year award at the MCSA conference in Washington, D.C. this week. I served with Sheriff Hutchens on the MCSA board. She was a consummate professional and she is dearly missed." - Grady Judd, Sheriff

Established in 1998, The Major County Sheriffs of America is a professional law enforcement association of the 113 largest Sheriff's Offices representing counties or parishes with 500,000 population or more. They are dedicated to preserving the highest integrity in law enforcement and the elected Office of the Sheriff. Their membership represents over 130 million citizens.

The Major County Sheriffs of America is a united and powerful voice of community leaders on issues of public concern through: Sense of Urgency, Communication, Education, Advocacy, and Research.

Click here for more information about MCSA.