Candidates for Michigan's Washtenaw County sheriff talk to voters amid primary election
(CBS DETROIT) - The three candidates for Washtenaw County sheriff were out at the polls Tuesday as they tried to drum up last-minute support during the primary election.
Democrats Alyshia Dyer, Derrick Jackson and Ken Magee are vying to fill the role outgoing Sheriff Jerry Clayton has held since 2008.
Clayton is Washtenaw County's longest-serving top law enforcement official.
Jackson said he hopes his longtime experience at the Sheriff's Office will help him get elected.
"I've been the director at the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office for the last 15 years," said Jackson. "I started out as a social worker who became a police officer and I've really been blending those two worlds together, kind of building and changing things from the inside. I think I'm the best candidate because of that experience."
Jackson was speaking with voters as they headed to the polls at Forsythe Middle School in Ann Arbor.
"The sheriff is really an important position within our community," said voter Carole Dubritsky. "I think it's important for the people of the city to understanding the complexity of the county, how big it is, the diversity of our county and the kinds of responsibilities our next sheriff will have."
"I didn't just wake up one day saying, 'I want to be sheriff,'" said Jackson. "I've been really working in the streets of Washtenaw County for the past 20-plus years."
Dyer also worked as a police officer at the sheriff's office and earned degrees in public policy and social work.
"This role for me, it's really about making sure that we're bringing more compassion into this space," said Dyer. "I want to bring back in-person jail visitation, so children can get connected to their families when they're incarcerated, since that's not available right now. I want to make sure we're ending cooperation with immigration enforcement in our county jail to protect immigrant communities."
Dyer said she's concerned about workplace mental health as well.
"Working as an officer, you work 16 hours back-to-back often and there's not enough focus on mental health and the overwhelming PTSD in law enforcement, and so I really want to make sure we're creating a trauma-informed workplace environment," she said.
Magee has decades of law enforcement experience, including as the former head of the University of Michigan police.
"I'm running for Washtenaw County Sheriff because I'm concerned about many things," he said. "Primarily, the opioid epidemic which has killed hundreds of people in the last decade, as well as the gun violence situation. Last year in our county, we've had 23 murders and this year, so far, we've had over 43 shootings in the last five months. That's unacceptable."
He says he believes his experience is what sets him apart from his opponents.
"I have over 30 years of law enforcement experience – something that my opponents don't even come close to having," said Magee.
Polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday.