There will soon be a new sheriff in town for Hardin County

HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. — After almost three decades as sheriff of Hardin County, Sammy Davidson will retire this year, leaving Hardin County residents with a major decision. Who will take his place?

Meet Sgt. T.J. Barker, an investigator with the Savannah Police Department.

“I played the roles of a patrolman, then I was sergeant patrolman, before I became sergeant investigator,” Barker said.

He says if elected sheriff, he wants to improve the relationship the office has with the community as well as other departments within the county.

“Especially if you’re working crimes in certain areas out in the county, I want to put that out there for the people to know what’s going on around them, so they can be on alert,” Barker said.

Sgt. Barker also says he wants to initiate a Crime Stoppers program.

“I am a hard worker. I worked hard for the city,” Barker said. “We process over 416 warrants each year. I just want to put that to work for the county.”

Meet Sgt. Johnny Alexander, an investigator with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office.

“I started my career in 1982 with the Savannah Police Department. In 1998, I started with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Department, for which I’ve been here going on 20 years now,” Alexander said.

He says if elected sheriff, he wants to initiate a warrant team and be more aggressive on the war on drugs.

“I’d like to work with the court system to try to get some rehabs that are dependable, that we can maybe get some of these folks off of the drugs,” Alexander said.

Sgt. Alexander says he also plans to be more available to media and the community.

“If I get elected sheriff, then it will be my responsibility, and I want to change things to operate the way I think they should be operated,” Alexander said.

Early voting begins this Friday, July 13, and ends July 28. The general election is Aug. 2.