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Highlands Today

Grimming Making Strides In Sheriff's Race

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By GARY PINNELL

Highlands Today

Published: October 17, 2008

Who is Ron Grimming?

That was the question Highlands County residents asked, 10 months ago, when they learned that a man who had moved to Lake Placid in 2005 was running for sheriff.

They learned at the time that he was director of the Florida Highway Patrol from 1993 to 1997, and the former deputy director of the Illinois State Police. But in those 10 months, Grimming has moved about the county, shaking hands with hundreds of citizens, collecting more than $50,000 in donations to his campaign.

Dozens have written supportive letters to the editor: "Grimming is credited with being an innovative law enforcement leader who brought FHP into the 21st century," said one letter writer, Robert Garcia. "Grimming's accomplishments have been recognized nationally."

Grimming stands out physically because, even at age 63, he still appears in peak physical condition. Although the campaign has thrown off his training, he runs five miles a day.

He didn't move here to run for sheriff, Grimming said. He had been coming to Lake Placid for 35 years because his wife's parents live there. Four years ago, Ron and Karen Grimming decided to retire there.

"I was writing for a criminal justice textbook," Grimming said. After leaving the highway patrol, he taught at Miami Dade College for five years, and has authored three books.

"I began researching in August, about a year ago," he said. "I began looking at crime statistics and some of the crime trends. I looked at the way the money was being spent, and I focused on what I thought might be a way to improve an escalating crime rate."

Grimming believed Highlands County would be faced with significant challenges, and thought his 35 years of law enforcement experience and 25 years of management experience would benefit the community.

Right Man?

There's never been any doubt that Grimming has the knowledge and skill for the job, but would Grimming make a good sheriff?

"Without a doubt," said Ken Howes, who retired as a lieutenant colonel last year from the Florida Highway Patrol after 31 years of service. "I just don't know where to begin to tell you how smart and how energetic he is. I was always impressed with his experience, ethics and integrity." Grimming was famous for his long work days.

"He did some great things for the highway patrol," said Howes, who currently directs a state troopers association from Tallahassee.

"We were all skeptical about him," said Howes. "Who is this guy, coming from the Illinois State Police? He was the first outsider to lead the Florida Highway Patrol. There was a committee who interviewed all the applicants, there were sheriffs there, the FDLE, the unions. They all recommended that he be hired."
Howes also became convinced. "He brought us into the 21st century. He was very big into reaching out and trying to get grants to pay for things. He brought new things onto the table. We were nationally accredited, during his tenure there. The guy, he's got more energy. You could always tell it was him, walking down the hall. because he walks so fast," Howes said.

The Lost Patrol

Grimming said he resigned from the FHP of his own accord. He produced copies of four evaluations, all of which gave him the highest possible marks.

He also showed his resignation letter, which took issue with his boss, Fred O. Dickinson, who was the executive director of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles from 1981 until Gov. Crist took office.

Grimming accused Dickinson and a senator he didn't name of meddling in patrol management and unethical conduct. Attempts to contact Dickinson for a week were unsuccessful. Now a lobbyist for Dutko Pool McKinley in Tallahassee, Dickinson did call back, but within a minute said he needed to attend a meeting and promised to call again. He didn't.

"If he gets a call from a politician who wants someone hired, and he isn't qualified, Ron Grimming isn't going to hire him," Howes said. "He just could not tolerate people who weren't in law enforcement meddling in law enforcement issues."

An August 2001 article by Collins Conner, published in the St. Petersburg Times, was critical of Grimming and other FHP directors. Conners wrote that Grimming asked for money for more troopers but instead bought helicopters, planes, and defibrillators, that he took troopers off the road and put them in special units like drug interdiction, spring break crowd control and chaperoning at Girls State. Meanwhile, county deputies and city police worked traffic accidents.

Grimming and other FHP directors are accused of failing to understand the mission of the highway patrol, splintering the force, losing control of his own men, and alienating staff command.

Grimming agreed that he ruffled feathers. But, he said, he needed to replace commanders, some of whom are still talking badly about him.

"I'm a big boy, I can deal with stuff like that," Grimming said. But overall, he believes the St. Pete Times article is inaccurate.

"I bought defibrillators. What's wrong with that?" Grimming asked rhetorically. Often, he said, troopers arrive on the scene before fire and rescue units.

Even so, Florida sheriffs got angry. Col. Bobby Burkett, Grimming's predecessor, said, "I can tell you right now, it's embarrassing how few troopers are on the highways. "If a person gets stopped by the patrol, I can tell them they ought to get the officer to sign a piece of paper, and they ought to keep it as an autograph, it's so rare."
Howes pointed out that the drug interdiction teams were actually created by the legislature.

"Some people, I think, thought he was trying to create a state police in Florida," said Howes. In Illinois, the highway patrol and state police investigators are combined into the same department.

"We couldn't even handle all the calls for service for traffic crashes," said Howes. "Our goal was get enough troopers positions so the highway patrol could investigate every traffic crash outside city limits. For that, we would need 700 new troopers, and that's not creating a state police, that's doing our mission."

That need still exists today, Howes said. Florida has about 1,600 troopers and 150 vacancies. Ten years ago, the patrol had 1,740 troopers.

In some areas of Florida - and even in Highlands County - it's common for one trooper to cover two or three counties during the midnight shift. Crash victims in those areas can wait more than an hour for help, Grimming said. Better planning is needed, and that includes both the highway patrol and sheriffs.

"He's a fair guy," said Kevin Conner, currently an FHP lieutenant in the Miami area and the president of the Black State Troopers Coalition.

"He's the best guy we ever had," said Conner, who listed seven colonels he has worked for. It was Grimming who put troopers of all colors on equal footing, he said.

"The people of Highlands County are fortunate," Howes said. "They will be pleased with what they get from Ron Grimming."

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