DALLAS COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) – Voters in Dallas County will decide between two law enforcement veterans in this year’s race for sheriff.
Sheriff Mike Granthum has been in office for three years now, following more than 20 years of working under former sheriff Harris Huffman, Jr. Granthum says the sheriff’s office continues to move forward under his watch and says crime is down since he took office.
Also running for office is Donald Shepard. WSFA 12 News made numerous attempts to contact his campaign but never heard back. However, according to his campaign’s Facebook page, Shepard has 26 years of experience in law enforcement, having worked as a Selma police officer and a lieutenant with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Both candidates say they want voters to look at their experience before heading to the polls, but Granthum says the difference here is that he won’t need on-the-job training if he were to be re-elected.
“Now is a time we can’t afford to put someone in office that needs on-the-job experience,” he said. “We need somebody who’s ready to go to work on day one the way that crime is. Maybe 15 or 20 years ago, you could’ve gotten by with that. Crime wasn’t as bad, wasn’t as rampant as it is. But now, first day in office, you gotta be ready to go to work, and I believe that we’re ready for the people.”
Both candidates are running as Democrats, and with no challenger, the winner of this primary will be sheriff.
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