'I wasn't elected to protect people's little feelings,' Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said. 'I was elected to protect the Constitution'
'The most politically incorrect sheriff' lowered his county's crime rate by 53%
Brevard County Sheriff, Wayne Ivey, discusses his unforgiving tough on crime approach in Florida in an interview with Fox News Digital.
A no-nonsense Florida sheriff is going on the record to explain the unusual tactics his office uses that he says are successful at deterring criminals from messing around in his county.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey told Fox News Digital he has often been told that he is "the most politically incorrect sheriff in the country" for his refusal to mince words when it comes to his dislike of criminals, whom he proudly refers to as "idiots" and "dirtbags."
For example, the Florida sheriff said he was at a national law enforcement conference when he was instructed to call people who are locked up "clients" instead of "inmates" to be more sensitive.
"I looked at him like he had two heads because they are inmates, they're dirtbags, they're criminals. They're in jail for a reason," he said. "If you're a criminal, you're an idiot. That's just the best way I can put it. Nobody twisted your arm and told you to go break the law. You made that decision. You made that choice. So I don't have remorse for you."
Florida Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. (Fox News Digital | Hannah Grossman)
Ivey is vocal on social media about his programs such as "Mess Around and Find Out" and "Wheel of Fugitive," where he spins a wheel to determine who will get arrested that day. As for those who disagree with him blasting criminals publicly? The sheriff says they should "shut up" and find another page to follow.
"Probably the most politically incorrect thing that I do is I respond to people on Facebook, and I'll tell them, ‘Shut up. Stop whining.’ If you don't like what we do, don't follow our page. Go somewhere else. But if you're here, then you need to understand that we are going to put bad people in jail, and we're never, ever going to apologize for it," he said.
‘WE ARE GOING TO KICK YOUR DOOR IN’
For criminals who are repeat offenders, Ivey has a special unit called the Sheriff's High Intensity Target, the acronym being an expletive a criminal may be thinking when the team comes in with guns blazing.
"I'll let you do the acronym of Sheriff High Intensity Target. But it's houses where we respond 80 times for calls for service because the citizens or the neighbors are complaining about them," he said.
The Sheriff's High Intensity Target unit is used especially for houses where gangs congregate and drug dens.
"We shut them down," he said about the force used, if necessary, by the team. "We don't mince words here. I mean it. If you don't come outside, we are going to kick your door in, and we're going to drag you out in the yard, and all your neighbors and family are going to see you getting cuffed and going to jail."
"I'll let you do the acronym of Sheriff High Intensity Target," Ivey said about the elite team. "We are going to kick your door in, and we're going to drag you out in the yard." (Fox News Digital | Hannah Grossman)
MESS AROUND AND FIND OUT PROGRAM
The sheriff believes that members of his team need to have fun while they are carrying out their duties.
"We mix a little bit of humor in most of our stuff. I find that the citizens accept that because they know we have fun and doing our jobs. And some people get a little offended," he said. "I don't apologize for putting bad people in jail. I don't care if their feelings get hurt."
Another program the sheriff is currently considering is called "Mess Around and Find Out."
"We've often thought about getting t-shirts made to give the criminals when they get out that says, ‘I messed around in Brevard County and found out,'" he said. "What's ironic is those that are sitting in our jail right now, I can walk through that jail, and they all respect me. They all know we don't play."
He added, "When our deputies' cars pull up, [criminals] know games are over. We're here to do the job. They respect it."
WHEEL OF FUGITIVE
The Wheel of Fugitive is a weekly game show that determines who will be targeted for arrest that day.
"The Wheel of Fugitive started because I was talking to a civic group one day, and I was telling them about how many fugitives we had. I kind of jokingly said my idea is to have a big giant wheel and spin it, whoever it lands on that's who we're arresting that day. Well, everybody applauded, and so I decided to field test it," the sheriff said.
Florida's Brevard County sheriff explains his "Wheel of Fugitive" game show. "It's about being partners with your citizens and engaging them, getting them to come to the table." (Fox News Digital | Hannah Grossman)
As for the success of Wheel of Fugitive? The sheriff said 88% of those that are on the wheel either turn themselves in or are captured within the first 3 to 5 days.
"So it works. Really, it's about being partners with your citizens and engaging them, getting them to come to the table," he said.
Regarding the trends of political correctness when discussing criminal behavior, the sheriff said it should be immediately discarded.
"I wasn't elected to protect people's little feelings. I was elected to protect our citizens, our cops and our Constitution. And that's what I'm going to do," he said. "We need our law enforcement leaders that are going to stand on the edge and dare you to cross the line and break the law. That's what we need."
"The message is very simple: If you think you want to be a criminal, my advice to you is don't do it. But if you can't help yourself, and you have to be a criminal, you better go to Orange County [in California] where they let criminals do what they want over there," he continued. "Because if you do it in Brevard County, you're going to mess around and find out."
Hannah Grossman is a Reporter at Fox News Digital.
