Freddie Roden to run for Walker County sheriff

Freddie Roden, a lifelong Walker County resident and a current Catoosa County Sheriff's Office investigator, has announced he will run for Walker sheriff against incumbent Steve Wilson.

With 17 years of law enforcement experience, the 49-year-old Roden said he feels he is ready to take on the challenges of being sheriff.

He said his main goals are to improve the office's transparency and to create a more proactive approach to tackling burglary and theft problems in the county.

"We should be using our resources at the sheriff's office in a better way," Roden said.

Wilson has been sheriff for 16 years.

Roden, who was hired as a radio operator at the Walker County Sheriff's Office in 1986, said he has worked his way up the ranks. He now works for the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office as a detective sergeant in the criminal division.

For the last three years, Roden said, he's been working on a campaign to run for sheriff, something he's always wanted to do. He will run as a Republican, he said.

If elected, Roden said, he also would like to implement more citizen-involved programs, such as a firearms training program, a litter program and a program for deputies to check on the elderly and disabled in their homes.

"When elected sheriff, I will work to utilize the resources available at the Sheriff Office in a more efficient manner to provide more services to the citizens of Walker County," he wrote in a statement.