Greetings Citizens of Madison County
My name is David Harper, and I am your current elected Sheriff humbly requesting re-election. As the end of my first term nears, I would like to personally thank each of you for the honor and privilege it not only has been but is to serve our communities and citizens. Serving you and your family is a responsibility and commitment that I hold in the highest regard. I was born and raised in Madison County where I attended and graduated from Madison County High School. Soon after high school, I attended the North Florida Junior College Criminal Justice Academy where I received my State of Florida Law Enforcement Certification. I am happily married to my high school sweetheart, Jennifer Dickinson Harper, and we are approaching our 22nd year wedding anniversary. Together we are proudly raising our two amazing sons, Brett (15) and Blayne (12). I have 27 years of dedicated Law Enforcement service to our citizens of Madison County with over 2400 hours of verifiable advanced Law Enforcement and Leadership courses. Throughout my career, I have held many positions within the Sheriff’s Office to include Patrol Deputy, Traffic Deputy, K9 Deputy, Corporal, Sergeant, Investigator, Lieutenant, Captain and Major prior to being elected Sheriff in 2020. I have also been fortunate to have served on many specialized units including Canine Supervisor, Interdiction Supervisor, Drug Task Force, Criminal Investigation Supervisor, Dive Team Supervisor, Internal Affairs, SWAT Team Commander, U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force, and Immigration and Customs Title 19 cross designation. I received the Florida Sheriff’s Association Executive Leadership certification in 2015 and 2016 along with FSA New Sheriff’s Institute certifications in 2012, 2016, and 2020. I am a member of the Florida Sheriff’s Association Commanders Academy class 5 alumni 2017. I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches as well as the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Region IV Training Council. I am also an active member of the Florida Sheriff’s Association, Florida Deputy Sheriff’s Association and the National Sheriff’s Association. Other memberships include NRA, Rotary Club of Madison, National Fight Crime, and Invest in Kids Council. My family and I attend Madison First Methodist Church. Nearly my entire adult life has been committed to serving our citizens as a dedicated law enforcement officer and community leader. Experience Matters. Proven Leadership Matters.
Question 1. How do you plan on having the Sheriff’s Office handle situations involving individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, and what partnerships do you plan on building with mental health services?
Answer – Each individual mental health crisis requires a unique response as no two mental health crises are the same. We currently treat each of these events with the utmost care and respect for the individual experiencing the crises to ensure their safety and the safety of the community. The Sheriff’s Office has developed partnerships with the Apalachee Center (Madison County’s designated mental health receiving facility) and the Northwest Florida Health Network for the past recent years. These partnerships have afforded the Sheriff’s Office additional tools and resources to decrease the number of mental health crises substantially while drastically reducing the number of law enforcement-initiated Baker Acts by providing greater assistance to all citizens of Madison County. The Sheriff’s Office has a five-member specialized trained team that works with NWF Health Network and their Big Bend Community Based Care program, and mental health counselors for an immediate mobile response to those experiencing a mental health crisis. This program allows for the determination of services needed not only for the individual but possible future services within the home and family setting. The Sheriff’s Office has further developed employee assistance programs and services within the agency to serve its personnel with mental health pressures incurred on the job.
Question 2. If elected what is your vision for the Sheriff’s Office over the next few years, and what do you feel are the key challenges and opportunities facing law Enforcement today?
Answer – Serving as your Sheriff for nearly 4 years, my staff and I have taken Public Service to a level that’s never been seen before in Madison County. I have identified the community’s needs and taken an innovative approach to meet their requests. I have further created many programs that offer our citizens an array of services such as: Silver Star Senior Citizen Overwatch, Teen Driver Challenge, Project Lifesaver, Citizens Academy, Women’s Self Defense, and our Drone program to name a few. I pledge to use every opportunity to provide the highest level of services while remaining focused on reducing overall crime in Madison County. I believe this to be proven benefits to our community and a display of my capabilities as we continue to grow and serve the citizens of Madison County.
Challenges we face are increasing population, the increasing calls for service and the increasing types of services needed in Madison County. This affects all public safety and first responder resources. Another challenge in the law enforcement profession today is public perception. Trust is easily tarnished and broken by a very small percentage of individuals who should never have been employed into public service. It is the responsibility of all law enforcement leaders to restore our community’s faith and trust in the men and women who take the oath of public service. We can only achieve this through transparency and accountability.
My vision is to continue with the highest level of services through innovative solutions while increasing personnel at the Sheriff’s Office to meet all challenges. My vision includes having one public safety complex where the entire MCSO is housed and would operate from to establish greater efficiency, greater continuity and to have all personnel and divisions together in one place for the receiving and dissemination of information throughout the agency and the community. This further establishes greater convenience for the public seeking the services and assistance needed. This would also prove to be an overall operational cost savings. Currently the Sheriff’s Office operates out of six different locations within the county.
Question 3. If elected, how do you plan to involve the community in discussions about public safety and student safety at school, and what forums or programs will you offer to residents to voice their concerns?
Answer – The safety of our students, faculty and staff as well as the security of our school campuses is and will remain a top priority. We enhanced our School Resource Deputy program with the addition of a specialized K9 trained in the detection of firearms and ammunition. School Resource Deputies provide for an immediate response to law enforcement issues that may occur on our campuses. This promotes greater visibility and develops personal relationships between students, their parents and the Sheriff’s Office. Once elected in 2020, I immediately reinstated and expanded the DARE program after a nearly 20-year absence throughout our public schools within the Madison County School District. We not only frequently train our personnel but further provide annual training(s) to all school staff to include active shooter response in conjunction with the school district. I also support the school guardian program by fully vetting and training all school guardian candidates.
We have and will continue to be present and participate in public events and speaking opportunities within our schools, public assemblies and church events. We will continue to educate and address students and parents regarding the seriousness of threats and other activities that can be criminal or disruptive, including the consequences of these actions.
Under my leadership, the Sheriff’s Office maintains a positive relationship with our school district by working together to ensure our students are afforded a safe and productive learning environment.
I further believe that one of the most important avenues of communication for a Sheriff is to operate with an “open door” policy. I have and will continue to make myself available to our citizens while being the most transparent and informative Sheriff I can possibly be. I firmly believe that a well-informed community is a safer community.
In closing, I would like to express that serving the citizens of Madison County as your Sheriff is a privilege and is one of the greatest honors of my life next only to marrying my high school sweetheart all those years ago and the birth of my two sons. I am further blessed by the amazing men and women of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office who understand our mission of service above self. Our success belongs to my staff while our failures belong to me. I humbly ask for your consideration to allow me the distinct privilege of continuing to serve you and your family as Sheriff of the greatest county in the State of Florida. Madison County, our home.
Political Advertisement paid for and approved by David Harper, Republican Candidate, for Sheriff of Madison County.