Meet the candidates running for Madison County Sheriff
MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — Two-term Madison County Sheriff Kevin Turner is running to continue in his role.
His Democratic challenger, Brett Jones , told News 19 he has a law enforcement background and new ideas he would like to bring to the agency.
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Turner, a Republican who was first elected in 2018, said he has presided over a growing department. During that time, he said he is proud to have brought the number of deputies stationed in area schools up to 26.
"I want to tell everybody that's moving here, the public safety here, as long as I'm sheriff, is going to be in place, and we're going to make sure that our communities are safe," Turner said. "I'm going to make sure that our schools are safe, and we are going to keep up with the progress of it."
Jones is a former Navy SEAL who transitioned into law enforcement. He said an experience he had while working as a New Hope police officer convinced him to run for sheriff.
"I was responding to a call in the county for the sheriff's office, and they refused to send me back up because that backup was coming from the town that they were squabbling with," Jones said.
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Jones said collaborating with town police departments in the county is crucial, and he would work to cut down on those deputy response times.
Turner said the sheriff's office maintains strong partnerships with the Madison County Commission, Huntsville city leadership and other community organizations. He said the culture and efficacy of the department are reflected in the number of deputies who want to work there.
"We are completely, fully staffed on the operational side at the Madison County Sheriff's Office, which is very unheard of," Turner said. "We've put together specialized units to where we can focus on different things inside the county and inside the city. What does that mean for Madison County? That means our homicide rate's down 29%. That means our robbery rate is down 46%."
Jones told News 19 he is running on a platform of transparency and accountability, especially when it comes to what is going on behind closed doors at the jail. As part of his campaign, Jones said he has submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to the sheriff's office.
"We've asked how many people have died in the jail since 2018," Jones said. "We've asked how many people have had overdoses, not necessarily died, but been treated for overdoses in the jail since 2018. Then, we also asked how much the county has had to pay in settlements as a result of the Madison County Sheriff's Office, and they have dodged those questions."
Jones said the sheriff's office has not provided answers to those questions.
"Here's the thing, the reason these questions are so important is because that's how you, as sheriff, are held accountable to the people," Jones said.
Turner said the sheriff's office Citizen's Academy is a tool for transparency, as it gives people living in Madison County a look inside the jail. He said transparency has been a priority for him as sheriff. He said he routinely checks on inmates' welfare at the request of family members, as inmate healthcare is a big priority.
"We have our own medical staff, our medical ward in the jail," Turner said. "I've spent $6.4 million last year just on the health care of the inmates in the jail, and that's a that's a big number, but it's a big jail. Our jail is bigger than 2 or 3 of the state prisons here in the state of Alabama."
Another issue that has come up on the campaign trail is license plate reader cameras, commonly known by the brand name Flock. The sheriff's office began using the cameras two years ago. Currently, there are 12 cameras positioned around the county that are operated by the department.
Turner said they are a valuable tool and an additional resource for investigators to use to locate a person who has committed a violent crime or find someone who has gone missing. He said he would support the state legislature putting guardrails in place to further regulate the use of license plate reader cameras.
Turner said the sheriff's office closely monitors who uses the cameras and completes monthly audits to assess who accessed the system.
"I understand that people want guidelines and they want the guardrails put up, and we do that as well," Turner said. "For the sheriff's office, there's only the investigators, and their supervisors are the only ones that can log in to any type of camera flock that we have."
Jones described himself as the "anti-flock camera candidate." He said he does not like deputies having that much access to people's location.
Jones said he believes that information should only be available to law enforcement with a warrant.
"I'm a former Navy Seal," Jones said. "I fought for my country. I'm a big believer in people's constitutional rights, and I think that they violate people's constitutional rights. And here's what I believe. I believe that I'm not comfortable with a privately owned company having that amount of information on the people who live here in Madison County."
Both candidates will appear on the ballot on November 3.
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