Candidate: Tony Cummings

Dr. Tony Cummings is a native of Jacksonville with 25 years of law enforcement experience, who has called the First Coast his home for over 40-years. He has a wife, Dr. Andrea Cummings, two daughters Kyra and Eleana, and a sharp-eyed K-9 named Rusty. Dr. Cummings grew up in a low-income, single parent, household on Jacksonville\'s northwest side of town with his sister, Denise, and two brothers, Morris and Derrick. His mother, the late Eleanor Cummings, worked multiple jobs at a local nursing home and janitorial service to put food on the table for him and his siblings. His mother instilled in him the importance of God and family in his life. She also insisted that he focus on his education and becoming a productive member of society. Her drive and commitment to her children\'s future helped to keep them away from the drugs and gang activity that seemingly had a stranglehold on their neighborhood at the time. In 2005, Dr. Cummings earned his Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. He also holds a graduate degree in Organizational Management and undergraduate degrees in Business Administration and Criminal Justice. In addition, Dr. Cummings holds a Professional Certification in Education Leadership (All Levels). Dr. Cummings, then ranked private Cummings, joined the United States Army Military Police in 1989, where his duty assignments included a tour in Russian occupied Berlin, Germany during the fall of the Berlin Wall, an assignment with the U.S. State Department (top secret clearance), and a highly prestigious tour in Washington D.C. He received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army in 1994 at the supervisory rank of sergeant, and continued his law enforcement career in 1995, as a civilian, by joining the Jacksonville Sheriff\'s Office (JSO). In his career with the JSO, Dr. Cummings has worked in both the patrol and detective divisions of the agency. His assignments included working as a Field Training Officer, Burglary Investigator, Undercover Narcotics Agent, and Missing Persons Investigator; an extension of JSO\'s Homicide Unit. He also provided ethics training to the Community Service Officers formerly employed with the agency. In 2012, Dr. Cummings was awarded the Six Pillars of Character, JSO Employee of the Year, for his work in helping to save Jacksonville\'s youth from the streets one child at a time. He was recognized for his efforts in the September 2011 edition of the Justice Coalition\'s Victim Advocate. In addition, Dr. Cummings was awarded Officer of the Month honors for his work as a Missing Person\'s Investigator in helping to positively identify the remains of three (3) missing person victims reported missing in the late 80\'s and 90\'s. His direct involvement in securing DNA from family members of the deceased and coordinating his investigative efforts with personnel from the University of North Texas Health Science Center, helped to bring much needed closure to each of the victim\'s families. In addition to his investigative duties and responsibilities with the JSO, Dr. Cummings worked as an adjunct professor in 2007 with Keiser University in their Crime Scene Technology (CST) program. He taught the following CST courses to young aspiring Criminal Justice majors: Legal Aspects of Crime Scene Careers, Hazardous and Unusual Crime Scenes, Introduction to Forensic Science, Fingerprint ID and Development, Crime Scene Safety, Crime Scene and Evidence Photography, and Crime Scene Procedures. Learn more about the candidacy of Dr. Tony Cummings at www.tonycummingsforsheriff.com. Tony T. Cummings, Ed.D.