MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Four candidates are qualified for the upcoming Bibb County Sheriff election.
DeAndre Hall, David Davis, Christopher Paul and Chris Patterson are competing to fill the seat held by David Davis since 2012.
DeAndre Hall has been in law enforcement for 14 years and is currently a Fort Valley Investigator.
41NBC’s Monica Diaz-Meek spoke with each candidate ahead of the May 21 election.
Candidate name: DeAndre Hall
Running for: Bibb County Sheriff
Occupation: Fort Valley Investigator
Campaign Website: deandrehallforsheriff.com
MONICA- Good Afternoon. Today we are sitting down with DeAndre Hall who is running for Bibb County Sheriff. Thank you so much for joining us today
DEANDRE- Thank you for having me.
MONICA- You doing good today?
DEANDRE- I am.
MONICA- It’s a beautiful day and it’s a wonderful time to talk about the upcoming elections. I have a few questions for you. Starting off, first one being, what do you think is the biggest issue or the biggest challenge facing the sheriffs office over the next four years and how do you plan on solving that?
DEANDRE- I think one of the biggest issues right now is building manpower. What I would like to do is come with new ideas, as far as how to get deputies in and taking a new approach to hiring. I feel like if we build manpower, it will clear up a lot of the issues we have face right now as far as seeing a presence of patrol officers, reducing response time and things of that such.
MONICA- Okay, so that’s your big thing there. I love that. Now when we are talking about making Macon-Bibb a safer community, what data do you think you’re going to most heavily rely on and consider that would indicate we are in a safer community?
DEANDRE- We would definitely have to go based off of data that we have been provided from the previous years as far as homicides and property crimes. What I would like to see is a consistent reduction in the crime so minimizing crime to the least amount of reduction possible. Again, I think we’ll get that done with the manpower. I feel like the manpower issue will clear up a lot of the criminal issues that we face today.
MONICA- Okay so that manpower really is going to have a rippling effect across the board?
DEANDRE- Definitely.
MONICA- Okay, and then how do you plan on making Macon-Bibb safer if you are elected?
DEANDRE- Again, through manpower. Also, implementing programs. I would like to focus on our youth, giving our youth something to do. Also mental abuse, substance abuse, pretty much taking a proactive approach instead of a reactive approach. How we deal with offenders and people from certain issues.
MONICA- Also, why do you think you are the best candidate? There are four candidates running for this position. What makes you the best candidate for this position?
DEANDRE- I feel like I offer a variety of experience. A lot of times you’ll see the candidates talk about what they did over time. I feel like, a lot of people, with me I’m 35-years-old and I’ve been in law enforcement for 14 years. During my 14 years, I had experience with working patrol. I had experience with supervision. I’m currently supervising in the police department I work for now. I was a homicide investigator. It’s just a diversity of experience. I feel like I’m young. I bring a fresh perspective and that’s just something Macon needs right now.
MONICA- Alright and we had talked about it, you’re from Macon, so this is your home. You want to make it safer, why is that so important to you?
DEANDRE- Like I said, I grew up here. My family lives here, my friends are here. I love Macon. Macon is thriving. I just want to be a part of the progression.
MONICA- Thank you for this. Now the upcoming election is in May. We’re going to pull up some details on your screen to find out when the election will be. Now we’re going to have early voting starting at the end of April. Voting on Election Day will be in May. Lots to look forward to. Thank you so much for being here. Any last things you would like to tell voters?
DEANDRE- I would just like to say on May 21st during the primary election, I hope I have the citizens of Macon-Bibb County. I hope I have your vote. Vote DeAndre Hall for Bibb County Sheriff.
MONICA- Alright, like he said, May 21st is Election Day. Mark it on your calendars. You don’t want to miss it.
Snippets from all candidates’ interviews will air on 41NBC News at 6 p.m., 11 p.m., DayBreak and 41Today. All interviews will also be posted in full on 41NBC.com on the following days:
Monday, April 15 – Davis Davis
Tuesday, April 16 – Deandre Hall
Wednesday, April 17 – Chris Paul
Thursday, April 18 – Chris Patterson