NATCHEZ — Randy Freeman wants to bring an experienced lawman to the top spot in the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

“There is no four-year college degree you could get that would be equivalent to my 30 years experience,” Freeman said. “It is not the same as being on the job for 30 years.”

Freeman, a 30-year law enforcement officer and three term constable, is running for the Democratic nomination for Adams County Sheriff. After Travis Patten, Freeman was the second top vote getter in a primary that ousted Sheriff Chuck Mayfield but had no candidate take a majority of the vote.

The winner of the primary run-off will face independent candidate Elvis Prater in the general election.

Background

A Natchez native and graduate of South Natchez High School, Freeman began his law enforcement work at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, serving there for two years before taking a job as a jailer at the Adams County Sheriff’s Department under Sheriff Billy Ferrell.

“From there, I moved into working as a road deputy and then into public relations, but then I moved back into being a road deputy, because that is where my heart is, assisting and helping people,” he said.

He has also served as constable for the past three terms, a decision he said was motivated by the chance to get out and meet new people while carrying out the orders of the court. One of the key campaign platforms he had as a constable was a promise to patrol the streets in a marked car.

“I have always tried to help the citizens of Adams County,” Freeman said. “I had a lot of friends out there having problems and needed to be able to pick the phone and call. somebody with their concerns, and there were things I wanted to do for the children of Adams County, so it was a way of being able to help as more than just as a deputy.”

In his time as a deputy, Freeman worked under four sheriffs, Billy Ferrell, Tommy Ferrell, Ronnie Brown and Mayfield, and an interim sheriff, Angie Brown.

“What I’ve learned from all of them is how you treat people,” he said.

“You don’t treat people like you are any better than them just because you have a badge on, you are there to help the people Adams County and not hurt them.

“Sometimes they just want to call and have simple questions, want to sit down and talk to you in person, and if you are a people person, you need to sit down and talk and find out what their needs are.”

During his time as a deputy, Freeman proved that people can and do trust him already, he said.

“We had a murder that was unsolved for 15 years. I had a confidential informant come to me and tell me where some evidence was to solve this crime, and we did solve it,” Freeman said. “You need people to trust you. In this scenario, it’s true, he took us to where this evidence was and it solved this crime that had been unsolvable. We knew who did it but weren’t able to get the evidence to prove it, and because he trusted me and told me this information, we were able to.”

Freeman declined to name which case was solved, citing concern for the privacy of family members of those involved who still live in the area.

Plans

If elected sheriff, Freeman said on day one “we are going to start on fighting crime, start working on the warrants we have and find out the needs of the public.

But the other action he will take on the first day is to initiate a full audit of the department, Freeman said.

“I am not going to be responsible for something that is misplaced or mistaken from another department,” he said. “From there, two to three months out, we will get our plan together and gather our people we are going to hire. We will have to interview the people who are there.

“You have great people who work there already, there is not many people there who will be replaced. They just needed somebody who is the head of the table and will lead them in the right direction. We are just changing the head of the department, that is the biggest thing that is going to be removed.

“We will have to see what is the best place for who is already there.”

Freeman said he has a chief deputy in mind, but declined to say who it was because it could cause problems for that person.

“I do want to say that I don’t have a problem with (current chief deputy) Charlie Sims, we have always gotten along,” he said.

Freeman said he also wants to seek grants for the department.

“I want to see what is available to save the taxpayers money here in Adams County,” he said. “Let’s bring some of the taxpayers’ money back to Adams County. That is going to be my No. 1 priority other than safety and security of Adams County.

“I want to save the county enough money to give people an across-the-board raise. These guys work hard every day, and they never know what’s coming.”

One of the grants Freeman said he plans to seek is for a work release program similar to the one already in use in Concordia Parish.

“It saves the county so much money, plus it helps the inmates get some kind of rehab where they won’t be repeat offenders,” he said. “It shows them a better way of living.”

Freeman said he would also like to see a community service program where those who cannot pay their fines could work at the Natchez-Adams County Humane Society to allow it to be open more hours a day.

In addition to that, Freeman said he wants to see the Adams County Training Center on Foster Mound Road reactivated for training purposes so the sheriff’s office does not have to send deputies to other areas to receive training.

Freeman said he would probably not use the sheriff’s Toyota FJ Cruiser.

“I will pass it down the line, because that is something I don’t want to drive,” he said. “I want something that, if I use it for two to three years, I can pass it on down to the deputies.”