This Week in St. Johns County History: Retired Sheriff Neil J. Perry dies at 67
Editor's note: This report was written by former St. Augustine Record reporter Marcia Lane on June 21, 2012.
Retired Sheriff Neil J. Perry, the veteran lawman credited with bringing the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office into the 21st century, died June 20, 2012, at his home, according to a Sheriff's Office spokesman.
His death, at the age of 67, comes one day after the St. Johns County Commission renamed the law enforcement complex in his honor. Funeral arrangements are not completed.
"Sheriff Perry was more than a role model. He defined the role of law enforcement," said Sheriff David Shoar, who replaced Perry on Jan. 1, 2005. "A piece of our agency died today."
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A St. Augustine native, Perry was called a "man of great integrity and courage" by friend and former state representative Doug Wiles.
"He devoted his life to serving others, both as a member of the military and in law enforcement as a police officer and sheriff's deputy and, ultimately, as sheriff," he said.
Wiles also spoke of Perry's commitment to family.
"I think Neil, as much as he was committed to serving others in the (Florida) National Guard and as the sheriff, was immensely proud of his family," he said. "When I was with him, he often talked about his children and his grandchildren. I think his family was as important to him as anything else in life."
His son, Keith, became a lieutenant with the Clay County Sheriff's Office, and his daughter, Michele, is a commander with the St. Augustine Police Department.
"Sheriff Perry's family was the backbone of his success, and along with his wife, Syd, he enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren," according to the press release from the Sheriff's Office, which noted he had "earned the love and admiration of his 'second' family, the employees of the … Sheriff's Office."
Former St. Augustine City Manager Bill Harriss could speak of Perry's dedication to the job from first-hand observation.
When Harriss came to St. Augustine, he did a civilian ride-along with the city Police Department and later went through the Police Academy becoming a deputy in the Sheriff's Office reserve program. One night he and another officer began a car chase of a drug felon who was a distributor.
"We were chasing him and all of a sudden the sheriff and his car, with him driving, passed us to chase the bad guy. The bad guy crashed, he spun out, and Neil crashed into him. He couldn't avoid it. Nobody was hurt.
"But after that, since Neil was basically in an accident in a company car, the rule was no matter what caused the accident, the driver had to do some remedial driving course. … He said, 'I made everybody else do it — I have to do it myself,' and he took the course," Harriss recalled.
Into the 21st century
It was that same sense of integrity that helped as Perry began changing the policies and procedures as he worked to modernize the Sheriff's Office, which eventually became nationally accredited in 1991.
"As sheriff I think he moved the department into the 21st century before it got here," Wiles said. "St. Johns County was one of the first law agencies to receive national accreditation. That was a huge deal in the 1990s … We were far ahead of some of the much larger counties like Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Tampa."
Harriss said Perry "took a southern law enforcement agency … that was adequately run and turned it into a professional law enforcement agency with all kinds of checks and balances."
Among the changes were a pay plan to address the chronic low salary issue, implementation of professional training through a shared academy concept, a college program to bring classes to the squad room, the E-911 system, a watch commander concept and sector plan. Other changes included establishing a Victim Witness Coordinator program, Police Athletic League, shared funding of school resource officers with the St. Johns County School District and programming such as Drug Resistance Education.
Started career in 1968
Perry began his law enforcement career in 1968 as an auxiliary officer with the St. Augustine Police Department, and in 1974 he joined the Sheriff's Office serving as a patrol deputy and detective. In 1984 he was elected sheriff, and he was re-elected four times before retiring in 2004. After his retirement he became a reserve deputy.
He also spent 39 years with the Florida Army National Guard, joining the organization in 1962. He rose through the enlisted and officer ranks, retiring at the rank of colonel in 2001.
He received the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Florida Distinguished Medal and the Florida Commendation Medal.
Perry graduated from St. Augustine High School, St. Johns River Community College and Nova University. He also graduated from the FBI National Academy, the FBI Criminal Justice Executive Institute's Chief Executive Course, and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
He served in a variety of professional positions, including chairman and president of the Florida Sheriff's Association, chairman of the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches, chairman of the Commission of Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, chairman and co-founder of the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute, and chairman of the Northeast Florida Investigative Support Center.
Perry was active in community and civic organizations, including serving as a president of the Kiwanis Club and a member of Ashlar Masonic Lodge # 98.
He was the recipient of the Outstanding Young Law Enforcement Officer award given by the St. Augustine Jaycees, recipient of the Lifetime Public Service Award given by the Democratic Woman's Club, chairman of the Friends of Scouting District Dinner and a recipient of the prestigious Guardian De La Puerta Award given by the City of St. Augustine.
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: This Week in St. Johns County History: Retired Sheriff Neil Perry dies
