Candidate: Richard H Worch, Jr

Richard Worch is a career law enforcement administrator, an educator, a businessman, and a dedicated community leader and volunteer. He has 34 years of law enforcement experience with 26 years at the command and executive levels, 12 of those being the Sheriff of Charlotte County from 1989 - 2000. He holds an earned Doctorate in Public Administration and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice. He is well recognized and respected throughout the law enforcement world internationally, nationally, and in Florida as a leader in modern policing. During his tenure as Sheriff he brought the Sheriff’s Office out of the “dark ages” through modernization and national and state law enforcement accreditations. He also assigned deputies to the neighborhoods thereby reducing crime by 28%. He is the only Sheriff in the history of Charlotte County to reduce crime during his time in office. Charlotte County held the unique distinction of having the lowest crime rate south of Orlando with a 1st place rating out of the 26 counties from 1990 –2000. During that time Money Magazine voted Charlotte County the Number One place in the country to live. Unfortunately, Charlotte County no longer has that distinction and our ratings have fallen to 19th out of the 26 counties south of Orlando. Richard Worch wants to return the deputies to the neighborhoods, continue to modernize the agency and once again make Charlotte County the safest county south of Orlando. Uniquely he did it at the lowest cost per person of any of the 26 counties south of Orlando. Simply, the lowest crime, a highly modernized agency, and at the lowest cost. Richard Worch wishes to return this type law enforcement to Charlotte County.