A huge step up from 'Previous Guy'

It is ironic that the humblest man in the room is also the most popular.

Sheriff Dave Vincent earned it. And we are reaping the benefits.

Nine months to the day after his candidacy took off and never looked back, Vincent returned to the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce on Friday to give an update on how things are going.

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In a word: Tremendous.

Sheriff Vincent lights up a room. He and wife Angel are two of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. I know…sounds odd saying that about a guy who wears a badge. Anyone who has spent five minutes with the sheriff (on the right side of the law) is nodding in agreement.

He’s spread that personality throughout the agency. The sheriff demands a strong community presence. He told us that on the campaign trail, and has fulfilled that promise.

Voters overwhelmingly wanted change. Sixty percent over a two-term incumbent is a mandate. Less than three full months into office, Vincent has already delivered:

— First, the news: Expect body-worn cameras for deputies by June 30. Vincent said he told his command staff to find the $385,000 in the agency’s current budget for the program so he wouldn’t have to ask county commissioners for funds in the middle of a budget year. And they did.

Budgets are boring, and I get that, but we’ve had a tug-of-war the last eight years trying to figure out how our law enforcement dollars are spent. The government geek in me is giddy at the prospect of seeing Vincent’s community-focused budget this summer.

— How did we notice a new sheriff right away? Other than the general feeling of relief, we started noticing a significant uptick in traffic enforcement. Sheriff’s deputies parked here and there, gentle reminders to stay safe on the road.

Vincent said Friday he challenged officers to make 1,000 traffic stops last week alone. They were at 927 at noon Friday. 

“Be careful leaving here,” he joked. (The sheriff told me Sunday they made it to about 950.)

This isn't a quota. Officers are ticketing about 25% of the time, so it’s not a money-maker for the sheriff’s office. It’s called traffic enforcement, and we are ready for it. 

— The structure Vincent inherited had just eight traffic patrol positions, and three of those were vacant. Five traffic deputies. Good gawd. Vincent said he combined traffic with K-9 to get more deputies on the road.

— Customer service is vital. “I want to be the Publix of law enforcement,” he said. “We have to get it right every time.”

— Now. A little about this sheriff’s predecessor. You may have heard that he provided zero help, transition, assistance, observation, suggestions, or even a partridge in a pear tree to the man who followed him.

Vincent said his team makes references to “the previous guy.” I love it! Though, Sheriff, as someone who has a little experience with this, drop “the” so it’s just, “Previous Guy.”

As in “Previous Guy didn’t even leave us a paper clip.” Or, “Previous Guy had money for salaries, but rather than fill positions he spent it on who-knows-what.” Or, “Previous Guy wouldn’t let anyone do anything of significance there without this permission.”

Best part about Previous Guy? He’s previous.

— Vincent is rebranding with a new logo and such, but he’s not in a hurry to do that because priorities are elsewhere. However, he wanted to remove Previous Guy’s name from the sheriff's property for, well, obvious reasons.

“We didn’t rewrap,” he said. “We actually cut the name out of a lot of things. There’s not a single thing that didn’t have his name on it.”

— Finally, today’s photo. Taking a walk with Bunny on the trail the other day, we encountered a deputy parked at the S.R. 44 overpass. I stopped and talked with the officer, who said he was hoping to discourage what’s becoming a growing number of young people gathering there looking for trouble.

I introduced myself, told him I write a blog, and asked if it would be OK if I took his picture. He was happy to oblige. It was an informal, pleasant exchange. Community law enforcement on the state trail.

And then Friday. Sold out lunch. Standing ovation. All for Sheriff Dave Vincent, who is the most popular guy in the room. And the humblest. 

We are in good hands.

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