Candidates for Williamson County Sheriff pitch visions to voters

Williamson County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Mark Elrod, former Brentwood Police Department Chief of Police Jeff Hughes and current WCSO detective Darren Barnes are seeking the position of sheriff in this year's election.

As previously reported, now former WCSO Sheriff Dusty Rhoades retired from the county's top law enforcement job at the end of 2023 after more than 40 years with the department. 

The Williamson County Commission will have 120 days to appoint an interim from Rhoades' official end date of Jan. 1, 2024, and Elrod is currently leading the department in the interim position.

Candidates for sheriff will first run in the March 5 primary election, with the winner of the August general election to be sworn into office on Sept. 1. They will then serve the remainder of Rhoades’ term, which ends in 2026.

All three Republican candidates sat down with The News to lay out their goals and qualifications for the position of sheriff.

WCSO Chief Deputy Mark Elrod

Elrod has served with WCSO for 26 years, five of which have been in the number two position where he has overseen numerous WCSO operations, including the jail.

Elrod's experience with the jail sets him apart from other candidates as the next sheriff will also play a key role in the future county judicial, juvenile and jail project, which will be updated and replace the current jail, which opened in 1989.

Elrod said that he wants to see a jail system that will serve the needs of the county for decades, but one that remains fiscally conservative while meeting the required state and federal standards.

“When a new jail gets built, it'll be state of the art to today's standards, [but] there's not going to be any frills,” Elrod said.

Elrod said that if elected, he will continue Rhoades’ focus on school safety, as well as addressing traffic safety, violent crime and drug enforcement, and human trafficking.

“We want to be more proactive when it comes to narcotics, when it comes to fentanyl, when it comes to any type of drug that's coming into the county,” Elrod said. “That's part of what patrol does, as well as part of what our canine officers do, and it's a big priority.”

Elrod’s endorsements include Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson and Rhoades, who is also serving as Elrod's treasurer.

“He knows the system,” Rhoades told The News. “It would be a seamless transition, and I have all the faith in the world that, if he gets it, that everything will move right along.”

“Him supporting me in the race for sheriff really, really, truly means a lot,” Elrod said.

“My hearts at the sheriff's office, I love our county, I love our community, I love the people that are in it.”

Former BPD Chief Jeff Hughes

Hughes retired from BPD in 2022 after three decades in law enforcement where he oversaw huge growth in the department, including the opening of BPD’s state-of-the-art police headquarters in 2021, the biggest capital project in the city’s history.

Hughes said that he aims to bring “a different perspective, a fresh set of eyes, and maybe breathe some new life” into WCSO based on his experience leading BPD.

“Given my career in law enforcement spanning nearly 40 years, I feel my knowledge and leadership experience in managing a law enforcement organization for 10 years as police chief makes me the most qualified candidate to be the next sheriff of Williamson County," Hughes said.  

“I have proven strategies to combat crime and build an organization that is focused on ‘service above self’ in serving our citizens in a fiscally conservative way.”

Hughes said that while he doesn't have the experience of running a jail, he's confident in his skills and record of running a police department in being able to get the right people to run the jail and all of WCSO's divisions and operations.

“I have come up through the ranks — every position, every division — and excelled,” Hughes said. “Now, [it’s] correct, I have never overseen a jail, but just as I haven't been in a patrol car for over 30 years, I don't need that type of experience, I just need to be able to manage people that know how to do that.”

Hughes didn’t express specific changes that he would implement, if elected, but said that he wants to work to improve WCSO while remaining fiscally conservative.

“When it comes to changes that need to be made [inside WCSO], you [have to] get in there and actually have a chance to do a comprehensive review and analysis of all the processes and procedures that are in place to see where you might can make improvements.”

All three candidates expressed their commitment to uphold the U.S. Constitution, especially the First and Second Amendments. 

While Hughes said that he is a staunch supporter of citizen's Second Amendment rights, he did oppose Tennessee's 2021 permitless carry law, which he said increased safety concerns for both law enforcement officials and the public, a view that he still holds.

Hughes touts endorsements from numerous law enforcement officials, including current BPD Chief Richard Hickey, as well as Brentwood Mayor Mark Gorman and elected officials from throughout Franklin and Williamson County.

“I respect Dusty Rhodes immensely, and I've known him my whole career,” Hughes said.

“He and I are friends, will continue to be friends, and I understand why he supports the candidate that's within his department. That makes sense to me, but I think that if you compare my education and my overall experience and knowledge, I'm clearly the most qualified when it comes to leading an organization of that size and managing a multimillion-dollar budget.”

WCSO Detective Darren Barnes

Barnes retired from the Franklin Police Department in 2019 after 27 years with the department before joining WCSO as a detective. His law enforcement experience ranges from patrol to school resource officer to investigator, as well as working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime and Gang Task Force.

“I think that I offer a different perspective because I've seen other police departments and sheriff's offices, what they have and what they don't have,” Barnes told The News. “I've seen some of the stuff that they've had to deal with, and I've actually supervised operations”

“I don't want to be the county that is playing catch up. I want to plan ahead for whatever the case may be. And I think I got some really good ideas to do that.”

Barnes does not have experience running a jail, but said that he would be seek input from other local agencies who have updated their jail systems.

“I think the biggest thing is you want to make it to where it's safe for the people that work there, to where it can handle the growth over the next 20 years, and that it's up to date,” Barnes said.

Barnes said that, if elected, he would focus on school safety, fraud investigations, violent crimes and drug enforcement, and would like to continue partnerships with mental health professionals to find long-term solutions to help citizens who are suffering from mental health issues that often involve law enforcement contact.

“My goal is to have the school staff 100% of the time and do some real training on active shooters and making sure that we're hiring the right people.”

Barnes’ endorsements include Fairview Mayor Lisa Anderson, former Spring Hill Fire Department Chief Terry Hood and former Lee County Sheriff Rodney Shoap.

Recruitment, Retention and Mutual Aid

All three candidates addressed the ongoing challenges with the recruitment and retention of law enforcement officials both locally and nationally, challenges which exist in part due to limited budgets, public perception of law enforcement, and the demands of the job.

Elrod said that WCSO is actively seeking to fill vacancies and target a new generation of deputies through efforts that includes WCSO's revamped website and recruitment videos.

Hughes said that he would work to improve the department's culture by seeking deputy candidates who exhibit professionalism and good communication skills and deputies who value both physical and mental fitness, adding that he's most concerned with "what's in your [an applicant's] heart.”

“It all starts with the selection process,” Hughes said. “To be quite honest, if you seek out qualified applicants that you want to join your organization, you're way ahead of the game, opposed to maybe hiring every applicant that comes to you looking for a job.”

Barnes said that he would market specific WCSO divisions to applicants, address the work-life balance for deputies, such as allowing school resource officers to take summers off when schools are not in session, as well as focusing on raising morale in the department and increasing benefit incentives for deputies.

All three candidates reiterated their commitment to continuing to improve relationships between all law enforcement and first responder agencies in Williamson County and at the state and federal level, relationships they all said were in good standing.

More information about the sheriff's race can be found at the Williamson County Election Commission's website.