Miami-Dade police Major, former federal agent announce run for Miami-Dade Sheriff
MIAMI - Two new candidates have declared runs to be Miami-Dade County's next sheriff.
John Barrow, a native of Carol City and 17-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department, and former federal agent Susan Khoury have announced they were entering the race.
A constitutional amendment requires that Miami-Dade elect a sheriff next year. The county has not had an elected sheriff since 1966, when the position was eliminated after a corruption scandal.
Barrow joined the Miami-Dade Police Department in 2007. During his career, he's been a patrol officer, neighborhood resource officer, patrol sergeant, field training coordinator, investigations unit commander. and held several administrative posts in the department. Barrow was promoted to Major in 2020.
"Sheriff is not a job for a politician. It's a job of professionalism and leadership. I will make Miami-Dade stronger and safer by inspiring our rank and file and creating a clear mission framed by strengthening the connection between the police and the public," said Barrow in a statement. "We'll put more officers in our communities, strategically fight gangs and violence, get guns off the streets and align our budget with our priorities."
Khoury, who lives in West Kendall, serves as a board member of the Miami-Dade County League of Women Voters. She rescinded her federal position on September 15, 2023, after officially filing and announcing her candidacy.
"Fighting crime is law enforcement's mission as long as it's conducted in a fair, equitable and transparent manner. The status quo is not acceptable or OK. That is why I used as a guide the 21st century Policing best practices to create my platform. With God's grace and the community's support, I strongly believe that we can make Miami-Dade County the golden standard and an example for the rest of the nation of what policing should look like in the 21st century," she said in a statement.
Khoury was one of the leaders of the effort that led to the reinstatement of the Miami-Dade County police oversight board in 2020. The board was renamed the Independent Civilian Panel and has the authority to inspect all closed Miami-Dade Police Department internal affairs files and make recommendations about the police department's policies, procedures, training, and recruitment.
They join a large pool of candidates which includes Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez.
Ramirez was first appointed Police Director in 2020 and started his career with Miami-Dade Police as a beat cop in 1995 and has worked his way through every rank. He went from being Police Director in 2020 to Chief of Public Safety between February and July of 2022 and then returned as Police Director.
On July 23rd, he was involved in a domestic dispute at the JW Marriott in Tampa where he was staying with his wife for a law enforcement convention. He later suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head during the drive home.
Deputy Director Stephanie V. Daniels was appointed interim director during Ramirez's recovery.