Ric Bradshaw to seek re-election as Palm Beach County Sheriff

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw is officially seeking re-election.

Bradshaw is the longest serving Sheriff in Palm Beach County history, with five terms already under his belt within his more than five-decade career in law enforcement.

Bradshaw enters his campaign for a sixth term with strong support from the Palm Beach community, businesses and faith-based leaders.

“I’ve dedicated my life to serve and protect the citizens of Palm Beach County. As Sheriff, I have ensured Palm Beach County has one of the nation’s premier law enforcement agencies. We have taken down the gangs, busted up the pill mills, hunted down cyber predators and locked up human traffickers,” Bradshaw said in his campaign announcement.

“From community policing to the front lines of homeland security, Palm Beach County is safer today than ever before.”

Bradshaw began his career in law enforcement as a West Palm Beach Police officer, where he rose through the ranks and became Chief of Police.

Bradshaw is the 16th Sheriff of Palm Beach County. The agency was established in 1909.

Bradshaw is known for his tough-on-crime approach to violence and gang activity, and he’s received praise for allocating additional agency funding for mental health support.

Other priorities since in office include investing in new technology and implementing body-worn cameras.

In addition, the Sheriff’s office has invested more than $13 million in confiscated funds back into community programs that support kids, seniors and underserved communities.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office employs 4,300 in six departments, with an additional approximately 1,500 volunteers.

Bradshaw has extensive training in various parts of law enforcement, including domestic security, field operations and community-based policing.

Bradshaw has previously served as chair of the Florida Sheriffs Emergency Task Force for Region 7 and as a member of the executive board of the FBI’s Joint Terrorist Task Force.

He currently chairs the regional domestic security task force and is a member of the Palm Beach County Chiefs of Police, the Law Enforcement Planning Council, the Police Executive Research Forum and the Florida Sheriff’s Association.

Bradshaw also previously served in the United States Marine Corps.