Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond has announced he will seek a third term in office.
The Republican sheriff first took office in August 2008 for a two-year term after former Sheriff Billy Long pleaded guilty to extortion, money laundering and drug charges.
On top of managing the state’s fourth-largest law enforcement agency, Hammond said the two largest focus areas for his office will be the transition and completion of the Hamilton County jail system and shrinking incarceration numbers for the mentally ill.
“It is no secret that jail overcrowding is at epidemic levels across the country,” Hammond said. “My goal is to eventually consolidate all prisoners at the Silverdale site where there is plenty of room for growth and expansion.”
Hammond said he believes the daily cost to house inmates will be “dramatically reduced” by getting all the inmates in one place at Silverdale.