With his re-election campaign now in full swing, Madison County Sheriff Kevin Turner spoke to 1819 News on Friday about the agency's recent progress and some of its future goals should he retain the office.
According to Turner, his agency is nearly at capacity on the "operational side," allowing it to keep pace with the rapid growth across much of Madison County.
"We've done so much as far as advancing the department," said Turner. "We have put together so many different specialized units. We have so many different things. We definitely want to keep up with the manpower. We are about four or five positions from being fully staffed on the operational side. And man, is that a blessing."
"But what we need to do moving forward is have positions where we can keep up with the growth of Huntsville and Madison County. That's the biggest thing is the manpower part of it," continued Turner. "We need to add to that each year. We need to make sure that we keep up with the technology that really makes Huntsville and Madison County what it is."
He added, "We have to keep up with growth and set the standard for law enforcement up here."
Turner said he will continue to ensure that the office operates with professionalism and transparency.1
"I think the sheriff's office has really moved to the forefront of law enforcement in the Northern District of Alabama, especially in Madison County. We had a lot of tough times behind us before I took office," noted Turner. "One of the main goals was coming in here and just bringing professionalism, bringing transparency, and just making sure that the people of this county know that the sheriff's office is the best agency that they can possibly have to go out here and to serve this county."
The sheriff is hopeful that voters from both parties will entrust him with another term in office.
"It doesn't matter if they're Democrat or Republican," he said. "I want them to vote for me for sheriff. It's a great job, and I love serving this county. This is who we are up here, and I think at the end of the day, it will tell you what we are. And that is a great community, whether we're red or whether we're purple."
"I think Madison County is the diamond of Alabama," Turner concluded.
Sheriff Turner will be facing off against Democratic candidate Brett Jones.
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