On this episode of the Babcock Ranch Podcast, Tyler Kitson welcomes Major John Heck Jr. of the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, a more than 30-year veteran of the department and one of the few actual Babcock Ranch residents serving on the force. Inspired by an uncle who worked in law enforcement in New York, John joined CCSO straight out of high school and has worked nearly every corner of the department since, from patrol and narcotics to 15 years as a K9 handler, training dogs for everything from drug detection to the department’s newer vape and gun-detection units.  

They trace his path through investigations, a stint in the county jail, and his promotion to Major in June of 2026, along with how changing laws, like medical marijuana legalization, have forced the department to retrain its drug-detection dogs entirely, since a dog can’t be untrained on an odor once it’s learned.  

They talk through how CCSO has scaled alongside Babcock Ranch’s growth, from a single deputy once covering the entire rural area to a dedicated substation, a $13 million investment, and Babcock Ranch’s designation as the department’s fifth district. They cover community programs like the first Civilian Police Academy, the annual Safety Day event, and a growing dive competition now drawing out-of-state teams.  

They close on where law enforcement is headed next, an internal AI committee exploring how technology could free up deputies for more proactive patrol, the cybersecurity and scam threats facing the county’s senior population, and John’s own move to Babcock Ranch as a resident, where his wife now works for the community and gets to work by golf cart.