Posted on Thu, Jul. 19, 2012

Nobody’s perfect, and the two candidates running in the Democratic primary for a chance to unseat Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti come with some dings. However, it’s a matter of degree.

Scott Israel, 56, was chief of the North Bay Village Police Department from 2004 until 2008. He spent decades with the Fort Lauderdale Police, retiring as a captain and SWAT commander. In 2008, he defeated four primary candidates to challenge Mr. Lamberti, a Republican, and lost.

Challenger Louis Granteed, 48, has spent 30 years with Hollywood Police, starting as a community service officer and working his way up to assistant chief.

Both candidates say that they want to bring a fresh approach to leadership to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, keeping the streets safe, enhancing crime-prevention initiatives and boosting morale among BSO employees. To his credit, Mr. Israel is concerned about the lack of diversity in Mr. Lamberti’s upper ranks.

Both candidates also have some issues that residents should consider as they vote for the man who potentially could take the reins of the largest accredited sheriff’s office in the United States. It has 5,800 employees and an annual operating budget of $650 million.

In 1994, Mr. Granteed was one of three Hollywood officers named in a sexual-harassment lawsuit. The woman eventually dropped the charges and filed a lawsuit against the city, which she won. Though the charges went away, it does not necessarily mean that Mr. Granteed was cleared of the allegation.

Mr. Israel’s 2008 campaign was sued over an unpaid bill. He says that he paid what was owed from his own pocket — about $10,000.

Mr. Israel’s experience as a chief of a police agency, albeit for a small city, plus his decades with a larger, more complex urban agency give him an edge in this race. Therefore, The Miami Herald recommends SCOTT ISRAEL in the Democratic primary for Broward County Sheriff.