Table of Contents
- Opening Statements
- Priorities
- Budget
- Recruitment and Retention
- Zoning and Response Times
- Jail Programs
- Mental Health
- Community Engagement
- First Responders
- Closing Statements
HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — Dozens of Carroll Countians spent Tuesday evening, June 30, at the Sheriff’s Forum, a town hall style event held at Carroll County Civic Center. The McKenzie Banner and Carroll County Observer organized the event, in which candidates for Sheriff answered questions submitted by members of the public. Retired Circuit Court Judge Donald Parish served as moderator.
Parish opened the proceedings with a brief history of the office itself. He traced the role of sheriff back to the Anglo-Saxon legal system of the 700s and 800s.
He explained that sheriffs were originally appointed by the monarch, and said that the roles they filled all those centuries ago remain much the same, today.
“Sheriffs are elected in 48 of the states and serve in about every county in the United States,” Parish explained. “Those responsibilities remain much what they were in olden times: maintain public safety throughout the county, uphold the rule of law, and ensure the effective administration of justice.”
The three candidates seeking to carry out those duties in Carroll County were seated on stage: Eric Sawyers, Ryan White, and Michael Smith.
Opening Statements
Each candidate was given three minutes to make opening remarks.
Sawyers framed his candidacy around community programs as much as law enforcement, outlining plans for a senior outreach program, a summer youth camp, church security assessments and neighborhood watch programs.
“I believe a successful sheriff’s office not only focuses on public safety, but also on being of open service,” he read from a statement. “These programs can be implemented without any added cost through grants and volunteers that have already come forward.”
White drew on his tenure leading the McKenzie Police Department. He detailed his support for zoning to reduce response times, body cameras for deputies, invest in training, and expand programs such as “Shop with a First Responder”.
“I believe a sheriff’s office should be built on integrity, professionalism, and service,” White said. “With 25 years of law enforcement experience and a proven record of leadership, I am ready to serve all of Carroll County as your next sheriff.”
Smith touched on his background spanning law enforcement, local government and small business ownership. He also gave his vision for the department.
“My vision as Sheriff is to put the people of Carroll County first,” Smith said. “To lead with integrity, accountability, and transparency; support all deputies, corrections officers, and dispatchers; ensure employees receive proper training and equipment they need; and build a stronger Sheriff’s Office through teamwork and professionalism.”
Priorities
Parish asked the candidates which duties of the office they anticipated prioritizing, noting the sheriff’s responsibilities range from animal enforcement and criminal investigations to prisoner transport, search and rescue, courthouse security and the service of legal papers.
Sawyers listed four areas he would focus on from day one.
“I will make it my mission to aggressively target drug dealers who are poisoning our communities,” he said. He added that investing in deputies and corrections officers would be equally important. “When we take care of our employees, they are better able to serve the citizens of Carroll County.”
White also put drug enforcement at the top of his list, and tied it to a broader philosophy of visible, proactive policing.
“The more that officers are seen and visible throughout the county, I believe that helps reduce crime,” he said. “Training is huge. Deputies, dispatchers, jailers — everyone should go to more specialized trainings.”
Smith said community involvement is what ties everything together.
“Putting the citizens first, listening, going out, visiting people — that makes a stronger community,” he said. “Drugs is a big problem. My shift has always worked hard on that ever since I’ve been there.”
The Budget
Parish asked the candidates to address how they view the role of sheriff when it comes to competing demands for public money.
Sawyers acknowledged he has not managed the sheriff’s office budget as a whole, but said his experience in other roles has prepared him for the responsibility.
“I have managed equipment, training resources and departmental assets in positions such as shift sergeant, criminal investigator and evidence custodian,” he said. “My goal is to provide the best possible service to the citizens without placing a burden on taxpayers.”
White said his three and a half years managing the McKenzie Police Department’s budget gave him a clear sense of where the money has to go first.
“You have to look at your resources — deputies, officers and jailers,” he said. “You’ve got to make sure that they’re paid and taken care of, that way they can take care of the people in this community.”
He said grants have made a measurable difference in McKenzie and could do the same county-wide.
“Those grants allowed us to buy equipment that we didn’t have the money for otherwise,” White said. “Grant money will help the budget go further and not put any kind of burden on the taxpayers.”
Smith pointed to his experience running his own business and serving on the Hollow Rock board.
“I’ve had my own business and been able to budget,” he said. “Working with the county commission is going to be the biggest asset.”
Recruitment and Retention
Parish asked the candidates to share their views on recruiting and keeping well-qualified deputies.
Sawyers said the answer starts with how the sheriff leads.
“I believe retention starts with leadership,” he said. “I will maintain an open-door policy so employees know their concerns are heard and addressed.”
He said advancement should be based on merit, and that supporting employees through difficult moments matters as much as pay.
“Recognizing hard work, supporting employees after difficult incidents, treating every employee with respect goes a long way in reducing turnover,” Sawyers said. “My goal is to build a sheriff’s office where people want to work, want to stay, and are proud to serve.”
White said the challenge in a rural department is that you often cannot compete with what larger agencies pay, so leadership has to fill the gap in other ways.
“You have to think outside the box,” he said. “I didn’t pick our new software [in McKenzie]. The guys in the department did. They’re proud. They don’t make as much as other people, but they feel like they have a part of it.”
He also noted the hidden cost of losing experienced officers.
“When you lose a five-year officer or a ten-year officer, you lose so much institutional knowledge,” White said. “It takes approximately nine months to hire and train a new officer.”
Smith said the pipeline should start well before the hiring process.
“Starting in the schools, with SROs, reaching out to younger kids, seeing the ones that have potential,” he said. “You can never have enough training. If there’s free training out there, go seek it out.”
Zoning and Response Times
Parish asked what could be done to improve emergency response times in the rural portions of the county.
White has made county-wide zoning a centerpiece of his campaign, and stated his case.
“The whole point of zoning is to get somebody there faster,” he said. “Henry County has the same model. Their non-emergency response times are 12 to 13 minutes, their emergency response times are seven to 10 minutes. Everybody deserves a response.”
Sawyers said the concept has merit but runs into a practical problem.
“In theory, zoning would be great, but the problem is you have to have more than three or four deputies on patrol at a time,” he said. “I just think it ain’t safe to put a deputy out by himself and expect him to respond to calls by himself.”
Smith said the department has tried it before with mixed results.
“We have tried zoning in the past,” he said. “In reality, it would work if you have the manpower.”
Jail Programs
Parish asked the candidates to describe their views on programs at the Carroll County Jail designed to encourage rehabilitation and develop work skills in inmates.
Sawyers said the jail represents one of the biggest responsibilities of the office, and described two initiatives he has already been exploring.
“I’ve already, during this campaign, put a couple programs out there,” he said. “A litter pickup crew with inmates — there’s a grant that Carroll County already gets from that, so that’s at no extra cost. And I’ve been approached about a Hunters for the Hungry program, where hunters bring their deer to the jail, and then they process it and give it back to the people that need it in Carroll County.”
White said work release programs can change the trajectory of an inmate’s life after release.
“If they have child support, court costs, fines, stuff like that, their child support comes out, their check comes back, and a certain percentage goes to court costs and fines,” he said. “Now your victims are getting their money back, the county’s getting their court costs, and these individuals have money to start over. This gives them some hope.”
Smith pointed to programs already in place.
“The ministry in the jail goes a long way,” he said. “Our GED program, and the second chance where they can go out and work — I think that’s going to be beneficial to our county as a whole.”
Mental Health
Parish asked the candidates about the growing number of people who arrive at the county jail in mental health crisis or without stable housing, and what can be done to address it.
Sawyers said the response has to start before anyone reaches a cell.
“Not every crisis should be treated as a criminal matter,” he said. “Whenever possible, deputies should slow the situation down, use de-escalation techniques, and work to connect individuals with appropriate mental health resources instead of unnecessarily taking them to jail.”
White was candid about the limits of what law enforcement can solve on its own.
“There are individuals who commit crimes just to go back to jail because they have mental illness issues and actually need to be somewhere else, but there’s no help and no funds,” he said. “There has to be more grants out there for mental health. I can’t sit up here and give you a good answer, but I can assure you as sheriff I’ll get into it and see.”
Smith traced the problem to a policy decision made decades ago.
“Mental health has always been a big problem since they closed all the institutions down,” he said. “There are people out there that really need long-term care, and they’ll end up in our jail. I don’t really know what the answer is.”
Community Engagement
Parish asked the candidates about the role of the sheriff in community engagement efforts such as neighborhood watch programs.
Sawyers said neighborhood watch programs are a practical necessity given the size of the county and the number of deputies on patrol.
“It’s a no-brainer with only three or four or five deputies on patrol in 600 square miles,” he said. “As sheriff I will go around to all the communities and meet with you in the churches, restaurants, community centers, fire stations, wherever you want to meet. I’ll come to you and I’ll lead that.”
White said community trust is the foundation of effective law enforcement and pointed to programs in McKenzie as a model.
“When the community can trust you, they’re more willing to talk with you, and it just makes for a better lifestyle for everyone,” he said. He added that he has already told his sergeant he wants the department to participate in National Night Out this year.
Smith said community involvement has always been a priority for him personally and offered a concrete suggestion.
“I’d like to see a tip line somewhere people can call in tips,” he said. “Most of your crimes, somebody else knows about them, and they’re more apt to contact someone if you’re involved in your community.”
First Responders
Parish asked about the relationship between the sheriff’s office and other first responders in the county.
Sawyers said maintaining healthy communication with first responders is crucial, and described one way he hopes to address it.
“I’ve already talked to our first responders throughout the county, our firemen, rescue squad guys, and it’s a lack of communication,” he said. “I’ve talked about putting together an annual first responders banquet for Carroll County, where all of us can get together, get to know each other, and train together.”
White said unification is key, and the answer starts with getting everyone in the same room.
“I think we need to have meetings, get the chiefs from the fire departments together,” he said. “What are your concerns? How do you think we could fix this? Come up as a collective group and figure it out.”
Smith said relations with other first responders have been improving.
“Communication has been the key factor, but I think it’s even gotten better,” he said. “We’ve got a new EMA director and I think they’re really trying to work towards building that gap between us.”
Closing Statements
Each candidate was given two minutes for a closing statement.
White highlighted his training record and outlined a unifying goal for the department.
“Through my training, I have a total of 956 hours of specialized training, 256 of those in leadership,” he said. “I would also like to bring dispatch, jailers and the sheriff’s department all together as one. I think bringing everybody together would not only help morale and retention, but also help the citizens of this county.”
Sawyers closed by returning to the theme that has defined his campaign.
“This campaign has never been about politics for me. It’s about service,” he said. “I will never forget that the sheriff’s badge belongs to the people of Carroll County. I humbly ask for your vote and your support.”
Smith thanked the crowd and had a word for the man currently holding the office.
“Our current sheriff has left us in pretty good shape,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed working for him. Most of all I thank God — if it wasn’t for him, none of this would be possible. I ask for your vote August 6.”
Early voting runs July 17 through August 1. Election day is August 6, 2026.