Four Democrats Want The Sheriff Hat

By Eleanor Boudreau

Memphis, TN – The current sheriff, Mark Luttrell, has thrown his hat into the county mayor's race. Luttrell--a Republican--has done a good job getting Shelby County's jails national accreditation. It's something all of the Democratic candidates for Shelby County Sheriff acknowledge, but don't necessarily want talk to about. Still, the jail is important to understand because it's an example of the difference a good sheriff can make.

One of the four Democratic candidates for sheriff, Bennie Cobb, got his start working in the jail.

"My interview consisted of, 'Oh, you're big enough. Report to work tomorrow,'" Cobb said.

Today jailers get three to six months training. All of the Democratic candidates for sheriff say accreditation is a good thing, but they also say, if elected, they would focus on new ways of fighting crime.

Larry Hill is the newcomer in this race. Hill is the Operations Commander of the Shelby County Court System. He wants to seek out new technologies for Shelby County's cops like the license plate readers used by the Memphis police.

Cobb is currently the Executive Officer of the Shelby County Sheriff's Uniform Patrol Division. Criminals, Cobb says, are mobile, so catching them requires police in different towns, counties, and states working together.

"We squeeze the net," Cobb said.

Cobb ran for the Democratic nomination for Shelby County Sheriff in 2006. But the two candidates with the most name-recognition are Randy Wade and Reginald French. Wade was the Democratic nominee in 2002. French was the nominee in 2006. Both lost to Luttrell.

Randy Wade is District Director for Congressman Steve Cohen. Wade wants to focus on teenagers, and on alternative ways of fighting crime.

"I just don't think always arresting young people is the answer," Wade said.

And French, like Wade, wants to make juvenile violence his top priority.

"You can easily tell a kid to say no to joining a gang, or say no to drugs. Simultaneously you also have to aggressively give kids something to do," French said.

French's career has not been without controversy. He worked for the Collierville police department for a year, then was let go. He once paid a fine for vandalism, and French has close ties with former Mayor Willie Herenton. French worked in City Hall early in the Herenton administration, but left after he was accused of sexual harassment. When asked French said, "I'm not going to really deal with a lot of those past questions. I don't think they're relevant."

And those incidents were a long time ago. But the same year French received the Democratic nomination for sheriff, in 2006, he received a contract for $68,000 from the city. He then paid a firm $30,000 to do the work. "You can't tell me what a fair split in business is," French said. The contract, he said, "Was managed great."

The last day for early in the primary is Thursday. Election day is Tuesday, May 4th. For more information on how to vote go to the Shelby County Election Commission website.