The men and women of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department are some of the finest people I’ve ever met and it was an honor to work and serve alongside them for nearly 36 years. Every day, they put their lives on the line to protect the citizens of Jefferson County without regard to internal or external politics. During my last eight years with the Department, I watched as our deputies became pawns in a game of never-ending politics where the only winners were political cronies and well-connected outsiders. I knew that the deputies and the taxpayers deserved better and vowed to do what I could to change the culture of the Sheriff’s Department.

After much prayer, and with the encouragement of my family, friends, and fellow law enforcement officers, I decided that the best way for me to bring about the changes needed in the Sheriff’s Department was to retire from my position as Captain and seek the office of Sheriff. Once I made the decision, I promised all those who had encouraged me that my sole focus and purpose for running would be to put protecting the public ahead of greed and petty politics!

If I am fortunate enough to earn your vote and trust, one of my first actions will be to restore fiscal responsibility to the Sheriff’s Department. To accomplish that, I will order an audit of the Sheriff’s discretionary funds and make the audit public so that the people of Jefferson County will know where millions of their unaccounted for tax dollars have been spent over the last eight years. I will end the cronyism that has put unqualified people in administrative positions that are being paid far more than many of the more qualified personnel within the Department. I will stop the practice of giving high-priced vehicles to command staff and instead use the savings to put more patrol cars on the roadways.

To increase morale among the rank and file deputies, I will base promotions on merit and eliminate politics from the process. I will restore the Department's training program and will motivate the deputies with incentives to stay in top physical shape. I will arm the deputies with the latest technology and put the 1 million dollars worth of new, unused, mobile computer equipment into the patrol vehicles. As an acknowledgement to the deputies that the Department is more than any one person, I will not use patrol cars as a personal billboard to advertise my name in 5 separate locations on the vehicle.

To protect the public and restore confidence in the Department, I will seek to work cooperatively with the new County Commission and not use the Sheriff’s Department for my own political advantage. I will reach out to municipal police departments around the County to find ways we can work together to stop the flow of drugs and end the gang violence that is occurring throughout the County. I will negotiate better contracts with communities that want contracted protection and ensure that deputies are patrolling those communities as promised.

Accomplishing all of these goals will not be easy. There are entrenched interests that will try to prevent my election and will try to maintain the status quo if I am elected. Nothing worth fighting for ever comes easy. That is why I am running and why I am asking for your prayers, your vote, and your financial support. Together we can make the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department a model of efficiency and our County a safer place for us to call home. On June 1st, I hope you’ll join with me – Vote Willie Hill for Jefferson County Sheriff!

Thank you for your interest in my campaign,

- Willie