Fulton County Sheriff Ted Jackson said Wednesday that he plans to expand programs to keep seniors from becoming victims and show people the potential consequences of committing crimes if he wins the race against his Republican challenger in November.
Jackson, who won a Democratic runoff Tuesday, said he sees the vote of approval as a sign that he must keep moving forward.
“This is 2016; we can’t go back to 1975,” Jackson said. “(Voters) had a choice between the past and the future, and they picked the future.”
Jackson defeated Richard Lankford, who was sheriff in the 1980s, to face Republican Ben Cowart to keep the sheriff's job in November.
Lankford, who was convicted in 1990 of tax evasion and extortion after becoming a target of the FBI – the conviction was later overturned – also ran for the office in 2012 and 1996.
In unofficial results, Jackson had 55 percent of the vote to Lankford’s 45 percent.
On Wednesday, Jackson said his priorities in his role included negotiations with Union City to keep using its jail to house female inmates, and increased security at the Fulton County courthouse. He is trying to complete the placement of security cameras at the facility.
Jackson, the former FBI chief agent in Atlanta who became sheriff in 2009, said he will continue to bolster relationships with local, state and federal law enforcement.
“(Voters) made the best choice based on experience and someone who has a track record,” he said. “Progress is forward, not backward.”
Previously, Jackson had touted pre-literacy, counseling and canine cellmate programs he started to help give inmates opportunities while they are in the jail.
Lankford did not return several phone calls seeking comment.
Turnout for theFulton elections was low, with just over 7 percent of registered voters casting ballots. In addition to choosing Jackson, residents chose Keith Gammage as the solicitor general, with two thirds of the vote, over Clinton Rucker. They also elected two Superior Court judges — Belinda Edwards with 58 percent of the vote and Eric Dunaway, with 56 percent of the vote.
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