• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Wounded Florida deputy leaves hospital after being shot three times...
        Michigan police officer and bystanders hailed as heroes after...
        Florida police officers recount heroic rescue of 3-year-old boy...
        Semi-truck collides with South Dakota police cruiser during winter...
        Florida 9-1-1 dispatcher guides family member through CPR after...
    • Labor
      • LAPD “accidentally” leaks personal information of undercover...
        LAPD union proposes police stop responding to non-emergency calls
        Florida’s recruitment program lures Chicago police officers to the...
        Staffing shortages plague Cleveland police as record number leave the...
        New Orleans interim police chief aims to hire civilians in time for...
    • Tech
      • New Jersey turns to license plate reader technology to address rise...
        One of country’s oldest cold cases solved with DNA from untested...
        Crypto crime investigations
        Austin Police Department launches non-emergency artificial...
        iPhone crash detection feature helps deputies rescue driver from canal
    • Training
      • New N.J. emergency service officers ready to respond in times of...
        Working effectively in low light
        Realism and stress inoculation in training
        Avoiding conflict and escalation
        U.S. trails in police training
    • Policy
      • Wisconsin Assembly votes to require “high-risk” schools to keep...
        Oregon law enforcement and retailers seek to combat organized...
        Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy...
        Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
        Ohio bill would lower minimum age to become a police officer to 18 to...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Thinking of pulling the pin on retirement?
        Expanding your identity
        Nonprofit offers telehealth therapy to upstate New York first...
        A California police department’s new wellness unit aims to improve...
        Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health...
    • Community
      • “Tennis brings us all together”: NYPD officers bond with youth...
        First responders share love of reading with children for Read Across...
        Colorado Springs police kick off annual soccer ball giveaway to bond...
        “These are beautiful animals”: Community members gift horses to...
        Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of...
    • Offbeat
      • Ohio police rescue man from brutal zebra attack
        Motorist stranded in Oregon wilderness without cell phone reception...
        Cincinnati police work with animal rescuers to capture exotic cat...
        Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls...
        Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot...
    • We Remember
      • Uncovering history: Railroad police officer murdered a century ago to...
        New Jersey girl supports first responders through Running 4 Heroes...
        Law enforcement from across the country join seventh annual Fallen...
        Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to...
        Farewell to a “living legend”: Oldest law enforcement officer in...
  • On the Job
    • Wounded Florida deputy leaves hospital after being shot three times...
      Michigan police officer and bystanders hailed as heroes after...
      Florida police officers recount heroic rescue of 3-year-old boy...
      Semi-truck collides with South Dakota police cruiser during winter...
      Florida 9-1-1 dispatcher guides family member through CPR after...
  • Labor
    • LAPD “accidentally” leaks personal information of undercover...
      LAPD union proposes police stop responding to non-emergency calls
      Florida’s recruitment program lures Chicago police officers to the...
      Staffing shortages plague Cleveland police as record number leave the...
      New Orleans interim police chief aims to hire civilians in time for...
  • Tech
    • New Jersey turns to license plate reader technology to address rise...
      One of country’s oldest cold cases solved with DNA from untested...
      Crypto crime investigations
      Austin Police Department launches non-emergency artificial...
      iPhone crash detection feature helps deputies rescue driver from canal
  • Training
    • New N.J. emergency service officers ready to respond in times of...
      Working effectively in low light
      Realism and stress inoculation in training
      Avoiding conflict and escalation
      U.S. trails in police training
  • Policy
    • Wisconsin Assembly votes to require “high-risk” schools to keep...
      Oregon law enforcement and retailers seek to combat organized...
      Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy...
      Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
      Ohio bill would lower minimum age to become a police officer to 18 to...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Thinking of pulling the pin on retirement?
      Expanding your identity
      Nonprofit offers telehealth therapy to upstate New York first...
      A California police department’s new wellness unit aims to improve...
      Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health...
  • Community
    • “Tennis brings us all together”: NYPD officers bond with youth...
      First responders share love of reading with children for Read Across...
      Colorado Springs police kick off annual soccer ball giveaway to bond...
      “These are beautiful animals”: Community members gift horses to...
      Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of...
  • Offbeat
    • Ohio police rescue man from brutal zebra attack
      Motorist stranded in Oregon wilderness without cell phone reception...
      Cincinnati police work with animal rescuers to capture exotic cat...
      Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls...
      Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot...
  • We Remember
    • Uncovering history: Railroad police officer murdered a century ago to...
      New Jersey girl supports first responders through Running 4 Heroes...
      Law enforcement from across the country join seventh annual Fallen...
      Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to...
      Farewell to a “living legend”: Oldest law enforcement officer in...
  • Between the Lines
    • The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
      The rule of law is worthless without order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Community

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief fights ALS with help from the community

APB Team Published June 4, 2021 @ 6:00 am PDT

Jimmy and his son Jackie. The picture that they are standing in front of was taken years ago of Jimmy and his son Jackie while saluting a fallen officer. (Kenny Lentz)
Jimmy Judge in his younger days at a traffic stop (Kenny Lentz)

Officer Jimmy Judge, an assistant chief with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, has spent 30 years serving the community in law enforcement, but now it’s time for the community to support him as he fights a deadly disease.

Judge suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease – a progressive and fatal disease that attacks nerve cells that control muscles throughout the body, eventually causing severe dysfunction with muscular activity. The mortality rate for the disease is 100%

However, Judge isn’t giving up. Although doctors have advised him to not workout as the muscles won’t be able to repair themselves, he still does. “I need to get up for my son again and show him we don’t lay down,” he said. “I am not going to lay in bed and feel sorry for myself.”

Judge has been athletic his whole life, has a black belt in martial arts, was an avid runner, and competed in body building competitions. Now, he is inspired to keep working out because of his son.

“I don’t want the last years of my life (for) my son to remember immobile sedentary,” he said.

Judge’s first symptoms started on the gun range when he had trouble loading a magazine into the chamber. Eventually, he started having difficulty with his speech. When he saw the neurologist and got the diagnosis, it was devastating.

“It was a devastating diagnosis,” he said. “I subsequently went to Johns Hopkins, got it confirmed and now I am being treated at Mayo Clinic.”

Jimmy Judge wearing the “His Fight is My Fight” ALS Awareness T-shirt (Shannon Judge)

When doctors told him that it was fatal and had no cure, he was initially angry. “You’re telling me in 80 years you can’t slow this disease down?” he said. “You’re telling me this is the best that you can do?” he lamented. But he decided the best course of action was to stop feeling sorry for himself and make the most of the situation.

The veteran officer is not alone in his fight. Not only is his wife helping him every step of the way, but the community he has served is giving back in any way they can.

In February, the River City Brewing Company hosted a fundraiser benefiting Judge and his family, and fellow officers and local businesses are also working together currently to raise funds for treatments that could slow down his ALS.

Jimmy Judge ALS Awareness T-Shirt (Kenny Lentz)

Fellow Officer Kenny Lentz, along with Thin Blue Line Fishing Company and Expert T’s ad Bulvega Graphic designer Loren Weber created a T-shirt in Judge’s honor that will hopefully raise money for the medical bills. When Lentz found out about Judge’s rare disease, he had to help out.

Lentz told News4Jax about how important Judge is to him. “I’ve known him since I was a kid, like I said. You know Jimmy – he’s been a police officer for over 30 years and he’s been, you know, protecting the city of Jacksonville for over 30 years.”

He continued, “He’s a selfless leader. He’s a very humble and kind individual. He’s very thankful for everything everybody’s done for him. He’s a loving husband and father. I really look up to him – just as a person, in general. But we love Jimmy, so anything we can do to help him.”

Categories: Community

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Uncovering history: Railroad police officer murdered a century ago to be honored in D.C. memorial thanks to North Carolina museum’s research
  • Wisconsin Assembly votes to require “high-risk” schools to keep armed school resource officers on campus
  • Wounded Florida deputy leaves hospital after being shot three times in ambush
  • Michigan police officer and bystanders hailed as heroes after rescuing victims in fiery car crash
  • LAPD “accidentally” leaks personal information of undercover officers to watch-dog group
  • Florida police officers recount heroic rescue of 3-year-old boy trapped in sinking car
  • Semi-truck collides with South Dakota police cruiser during winter storm
  • Florida 9-1-1 dispatcher guides family member through CPR after toddler almost drowns
  • NYPD officer rappels down skyscraper to save man from jumping to his death
  • New Jersey girl supports first responders through Running 4 Heroes program

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.