- March 14, 2025
Ray Stevens
AGE: 63
FAMILY: married, one daughter
QUIRKY FACT: Collector (owns 30 watches)
BIO: Stevens is a former commanding officer of the Detective Bureau, Ossining New York Police Department, acting chief of police. Sworn federal agent, DEA Task Force, NYC. Detective sergeant, Sergeant Patrol Bureau. Adjunct professor, Keiser College. U.S. Coast Guard, master vessel operator. Volunteer cold case investigator, Daytona Beach Police Department. FBI National Academy Graduate. NYPD Homicide Investigators School. DEA Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, case management.
What would you do differently with the budget in the next four years?
Reduce it. I guarantee that. I will reduce expenses considerably. And I will do so without jeopardizing public safety, nor negatively impacting upon the effectiveness of the operation, I guarantee that. You can hold my feet to the fire.
I don’t want to shoot from the hip, to say that I’m going to save X amount of dollars here or X amount of dollars there. I’m not there yet; I have to sit down with the budget people and evaluate the entire budget line item by line item. Generally speaking, what I will be looking at is reducing the amount of nonessential personnel, especially in the civilian sector, through attrition, through retirement incentives. ...
I believe I will stop or cease with unnecessary promotions. By my last count based on what I received from the Sheriff’s Office, there seems to be about 50 people being paid at a supervisory rate for 85 deputies. I think that in itself is a budget buster. ... I will also — and again, I don’t have the budget in front of me, but those areas, personnel, unnecessary expenditures on gimmicks and gadgets like 50-caliber machine guns and tanks.
And gasoline reminds me of another thing that I think needs to be addressed, and that is more fuel-efficient vehicles. I mean most of the supervisors and a number of other personnel are riding around in SUVs. ...
I also want to look at and evaluate the rank structure. Are we too top heavy? Elimination of redundant ranks and nine levels of supervision for a Sheriff’s Office this size may be a bit much.
If elected, how would you make Flagler County a safer place to live?
I believe in proactive law enforcement, crime prevention, and under my administration, for example, I will provide free home and business security surveys conducted by professional police officers because burglars are like water: They take the course of least resistance. Through my program, if we can make individuals a harder target, that in itself will reduce the burglary rate. ...
I also believe in crime forecasting so that we can better predict what crimes we can expect in the future; and more effectively, efficiently, and economically allocate our resources to combat it. And what I mean by that is, and I will incorporate my IT people into the crime analysis unit. ...
The centerpiece of my administration will be I’m going after gangs, and I’m going after drug dealers. I’m going after them in our neighborhoods and in our schools, and I’m going after them with a vengeance. And I’m going to persist and persevere until such time that they come to the realization that Flagler County may not be the place to deal drugs or engage in gang activity.
I was a sworn special agent with the New York DEA Task Force working major narcotics cases in New York City, and I also attended their school; the gang problem, the drug problem and the crime problem are all intertwined. And therein, folks, lies the root cause of the increase in the big city type crime that we’re experiencing here now in Palm Coast. Specifically drive by shootings, home invasions, home owners involved in shoot outs with burglars, bank robberies, pharmacy robberies, and a dramatic increase in serious assault, all of which are gang- and drug-related. ...
I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I’m going to eliminate all crime and all drug dealers from Flagler County. But I’ll tell you this, I will put a serious dent in their operation. When I was commanding officer of the detective bureau up in New York, my street crime people, my detectives, and my narcotics squad would do a major drug sweep not every three years just before elections, but every three months.
What is one thing you would do differently from Sheriff Fleming?
My plan there is that I’m going to enhance the Citizen Observer Patrol program. What I’m going to do is I am going to make these dedicated volunteers mission-oriented, instead of just tossing in a set of keys and say, “Go out and ride around.” ...
I’m going to divide this city up into sectors, and I’m going to assign these sectors to various COP individuals that come in to volunteer. They’re going to go and check these vacant houses, and they’re going to actually get out of the car, and they’re going to walk around and make sure water ain’t pouring out the back door, and it hasn’t been broken into, and it’s not being used as a drug den. ...
I believe Mr. Fleming has run out of steam. I believe that his focus, and this applies to all administrators across the board, I believe that once your focus shifts from what can I do to make this a better place to what do I got to do to get re-elected, it’s time to go. And I believe Mr. Fleming has become apathetic. ...
I will bring renewed vigor to the office.
What makes you the most qualified to be sheriff?
I think that as this campaign progresses I will emerge as the candidate with the most diversified law enforcement background, training, experience and education, and best equipped to deal with the problems that have plagued this community for the last eight years. And as I enumerated earlier, that’s gangs, drugs, and now prescription medication. ... My focus will be on the individuals, physicians, and clinics that unethically or illegally dispense pain medication and focus on that. ...
