Former Jackson Police Chief Rick Staples has picked up a petition from the Madison County Election Commission to qualify as a candidate for Madison County Sheriff.
A recent change in Tennessee law affected the qualifications to be a candidate for Sheriff. In addition to the requirments to be a candidate for office, a candidate for sheriff must meet the following standards.
SPECIFIC TO THE OFFICE OF SHERIFF
No person shall engage in the practice of law or serve as a member of the general assembly while serving as sheriff. (TCA 8-8-101)
A person shall:
1. Be a citizen of the United States;
2. Be at least 25 years of age prior to the date of qualifying for election;
3. Be a qualified voter of the county and a resident of the county for one (1) full
year prior to the date of the qualifying deadline;
4. Have obtained a high school diploma or its equivalent in educational training
as recognized by the Tennessee state board of education;
5. Not have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to or entered a plea of nolo
contendere to any misdemeanor crime of domestic violence or any felony
charge or any violation of any federal or state laws or city ordinances relating
to force, violence, theft, dishonesty, gambling, liquor or controlled substances;
6. Be fingerprinted and have the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation make a
search of local, state, and federal fingerprint files for any criminal record.
Fingerprints are to be taken under the direction of the T.B.I. It shall be the
responsibility of the T.B.I. to forward all criminal history results to the Peace
Officer Standards and Training (POST) commission for evaluation of
qualifications;
7. Not have been released, separated, or discharged from the Armed Forces of
the United States with a Dishonorable or Bad Conduct discharge, or as a
consequence of conviction at court martial for either state or federal offenses;
8. Have been certified by a Tennessee licensed health care provider qualified in
the psychiatric or psychological fields as being free any disorder, as set forth
in the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, Third Edition (DSM III) or its successor, of the American
Psychiatric Association; at the time of the examination, that would, in the
professional judgment of the examiner, impair the subject’s ability to perform
any essential function of the job; and
9. Have at least three (3) years of full-time experience as a peace officer
standards and training commission certified law enforcement officer in the
previous ten (10) years or at least three (3) years of full-time experience as a
state or federal certified law enforcement officer with training equivalent to
that required by the peace officer standards and training commission in the
previous ten (10) years. (This requirement does not apply in any county
having a metropolitan form of government where the sheriff does not have
law enforcement powers.)
10. Shall file with the POST Commission,
(A) An affidavit sworn to and signed by the candidate affirming that the
candidate meets the requirements of this section; and
(B) A confirmation of psychological evaluation form certified by the
psychologist/psychiatrist providing psychological evaluation as provided
for in §8-8-102(a) (8) for the purposes of sheriff candidacy qualification.
The qualifying deadline for Sheriff is February 6, 2014,
All candidates for races with a primamry must qualify by February 20, 2014
The Primary election will be May 6, 2014. You must declare a party to vote
in the Primary election.
The General election is August 7, 2014
More on this story to come including an interview with Rick Staples.
