Republican Tulsa County Sheriff Candidates Sound Off At Forum

<p>Republican candidates for Tulsa County sheriff sounded off Monday night, talking about racial profiling, the possibility of privatizing the jail and restoring trust in the department.</p>

Monday, February 8th 2016, 11:26 pm

By: News On 6

Republican Tulsa County Sheriff Candidates Sound Off At Forum

Republican candidates for Tulsa County sheriff sounded off Monday night, talking about racial profiling, the possibility of privatizing the jail and restoring trust in the department.

The candidates are looking more polished as they get closer to the April 5th special election.

We want to share an answer from each of these candidates. Here are their responses when asked to name specific strategies for restoring trust within the community.

John Fitzpatrick: "There cannot be enough training given to people that have to carry a badge, a gun, interface with the public."

Tom Helm: "Restoring trust starts at the top, from the leadership that you exhibit with the agency."

Brandon Hendrix: "When something goes wrong in our office, we find out the same time as you, on the 6:00 news."

Jason Jackson: "You restore trust by being what you say you are. You do what you say you're going to do."

Dan Miller: "As sheriff, can I not hold a press conference at least once a month to find out what the community, or what the media have to question?"

Randy Pierce: "Getting all the employees, detention officers and deputies involved in community meetings and civic events."

Vic Regalado: "You have a say in who takes that office, and because of that, by its inherent nature, you should also have a say in how it's run."

Luke Sherman: "How you bring training, that's relevant. Legitimate training that allows the folks in this room to see the service that we provide, and from that service, then you begin to build trust."

Some of the other questions asked include:

How do you feel about funding for the jail and privatizing the jail? What will you do to reduce implicit bias/racial profiling? How do you prevent the cover-ups under the previous administration?

News On 6 reporter Allison Harris had live updated during the forum. You can find those on her Twitter page.