Florida sheriff vows to arrest Tim Cook if Apple won't comply with court orders
Apple's firm stance against decrypting iPhones in criminal investigations could land CEO Tim Cook in jail, if the sheriff in one rural Florida county has his way.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Via Fox 13
"I can tell you, the first time we do have trouble getting into a cell phone, we're going to seek a court order from Apple. And when they deny us, I'm going to go lock the CEO of Apple up," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said, according to FOX 13. "I'll lock the rascal up."
"You cannot create a business model to go, 'We're not paying attention to the federal judge or the state judge. You see, we're above the law,'" Judd added. "The CEO of Apple needs to know he's not above the law, and neither is anybody else in the United States."
It's not clear exactly how Judd would follow through on such a threat; in addition to the fact that Cook lives in California and is unlikely to ever set foot in Polk County, he has a formidable legal shield in front of him.
The sheriff's comments came during a press conference for a case in which the suspects -- who are accused of beating, sexually assaulting, and murdering a man -- took photos of their crime and showed those photos to others. The suspects then provided police with the phone's passcode.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Via Fox 13
"I can tell you, the first time we do have trouble getting into a cell phone, we're going to seek a court order from Apple. And when they deny us, I'm going to go lock the CEO of Apple up," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said, according to FOX 13. "I'll lock the rascal up."
"You cannot create a business model to go, 'We're not paying attention to the federal judge or the state judge. You see, we're above the law,'" Judd added. "The CEO of Apple needs to know he's not above the law, and neither is anybody else in the United States."
It's not clear exactly how Judd would follow through on such a threat; in addition to the fact that Cook lives in California and is unlikely to ever set foot in Polk County, he has a formidable legal shield in front of him.
The sheriff's comments came during a press conference for a case in which the suspects -- who are accused of beating, sexually assaulting, and murdering a man -- took photos of their crime and showed those photos to others. The suspects then provided police with the phone's passcode.
Comments
He has zero tolerance for porn with not even a single adult bookstore remaining in Polk County since he took office a few years ago, much less a topless bar or massage parlor. He runs regular stings for prostitution, both the prostitutes and the johns, and if you're even suspected of child porn you're on his radar, with a section of the sheriff's office dedicated to ferreting out folks who look for or download anything even remotely considered child porn.
He's quick to arrest anyone he believes is guilty of animal cruelty or improperly caring for livestock. Before Judd became sheriff things like dog-fighting were also a poorly hidden secret. Not anymore, they're raided and shut down as soon as Judd gets wind of them.
Grady Judd also has little tolerance for on-line bullying of kids with even high-schoolers subject to arrest if they cause someone harm as a result. He aggressively investigates Facebook users boasting of a crime, (or God-forbid taunting him to catch them!), has arrested his own officers when suspected of doing anything unlawful, has created one of the country's best police training academies and on and on.
With that said he's never met a camera he didn't like.