Chris Byrd of Gantt has qualified to seek Republican nomination for Covington County Sheriff.

Byrd is a Covington County native and graduate of Straughn High School who has worked in law enforcement since 1997 – serving as a reserve police officer, and later police chief, in Gantt, and as a Covington County Sheriff’s deputy from 2000-2011.

Byrd said during his first three years with the CCSO, he served as a road deputy, sergeant and K-9 deputy. During the last eight years of his career with the CCSO, he was assigned to the 22nd Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force as a narcotics investigator. From 2007 until 2011, Byrd served as Gantt chief.

“The Gantt Police Department was not in operation at the time of my hiring,” Byrd said. “We had literally no equipment and two non-operational patrol vehicles. During my time as chief, we were able to hire patrol officers, purchase two new patrol vehicles, and new equipment which was made possible by teamwork between the police department, town council, officers and grants.”

Byrd said he hopes to bring new ideas and practices to the CCSO.

“One example would be to establish better communications with victims of crimes and the sheriff’s office,” he said. “I want victims to feel that each and every case brought in is as important as the next one.

“The second is to establish a ‘meet with the sheriff’ that would give the community a chance to come out and express their likes and dislikes of the sheriff’s office,” he said. “This will be done quarterly in specified locations throughout the county. The focus of this is to see if we need to improve on service and correct it. “I will see to it that the department works with the communities to solve problems and form partnerships,” Byrd said.

Byrd is the son of Donnie Byrd of Andalusia and the late Linda Ruth Williams.

He and his wife, Amy Watts Byrd, the daughter of Greg and Shirley Watts of Andalusia, have one son, Zach.