- March 12, 2025
1. Here are some statistics that are indicative of the state of the Sheriff's Office.
There has been a 63% increase in overall crime since Fleming has been in office, although the population has increased by 33%. Robberies are up 100%, rapes 58%, aggravated assaults 52%, burglaries 45% and larcenies 62%.
The number of supervisors have increased from 22, when I was sheriff, to 48 presently.
The ratio of supervisors to deputies went from 4 to 1, to 2 to 1.
There were only five employees making more than $65,000 a year when I was sheriff . There are now 42, and that's without overtime.
There were six SUV's in the office while I was sheriff. There are now 28.
2. What’s an example that illustrates your ability to perform as a manager?
An example that illustrates my performance as a manager is that the Sheriff's Office was accredited for the first time in its 80-year history.
This required organizing the entire office personnel in an effort to improve its policies and procedures and the way each performed their duties. I personally reviewed and provided oversight of each and every policy and the performance of each department. We were accredited on our first attempt.
3. Why should people vote for you instead of your opponent?
The public should vote for me rather than my opponent due to his pattern of unethical behavior over the past nine months that has affected his credibility and that of the department. I will return the office to community policing, high ethical standards and a business approach to budgeting.
Following the questionnaire, we had each candidate come in for a follow-up interview. A sample of Manfre's responses is compiled below.
Mr. Manfre says he is running because he is concerned about this community, claiming he has been “hearing on the streets all the time that, 'I can’t get anyone to show up, and when they do show up, they won’t take police reports, and if they do take police reports, they don’t make arrests.'” He claims that crime is much worse than Sheriff Donald Fleming claims. The main difference between their sets of statistics is that Manfre includes the crime in Bunnell. "Yes," Manfre said, "(Fleming) is responsible for the statistics of Bunnell just like I was. … Constitutional duties require you to be the sheriff for every single resident.”
When asked how he is qualified to be sheriff due to his background in law rather than law enforcement, Manfre responded: “Law enforcement is law and enforcement. … Unfortunately, Mr. Fleming has no concept of what a prosecutor is. … There is no difference between a prosecutor and a patrol officer. … I was a sheriff for four years — that was law enforcement experience, whether he likes it or not. I actually did the job, unlike Don Fleming. … Understanding the law helps me. … I certainly wouldn’t have done the three things that Mr. Fleming has done this year … because I also have legal experience.”
Manfre points out three ethical errors made by Fleming. "The first one (the Fisher case) is an outrage. … You cannot have conversations with the suspect’s husband; (Fleming is) a part of the investigation now. … He’s committed official misconduct.”
The second accusation is the gift of membership at Hammock Beach, which Manfre said “violated the public trust. … You’re not supposed to use your position to get things other people cannot get. … He’s the sheriff; … ignorance of the law is not a defense.”
The third accusation, of overpaying an individual due to significant clerical errors, Mr. Manfre said: “It shocks your conscience that this man was not terminated. … He stole money from us.”
On comparing his tenure as sheriff and his approach to that of Sheriff Fleming, Manfre said: “He’s saying words but not doing (crime stat analysis and community policing). … You cannot be doing crime analysis and see that kind of jump: … 100% in burglaries, 62% in larcenies. … If you’re doing community policing, community policing keeps crime from going out of hand. … My actual crime only went up 15%; his has gone up 46%.”
In closing, Manfre said: “You have one person who has proven to be a liar over and over again. … He has no credibility in this area. … (In) law enforcement ... you have to be doing everything right.”
