By Shanderia K. Posey
Editor
All of Victor Mason’s hard work paid off Tuesday when he was elected the next sheriff of Hinds County.
With 72 percent of the votes, Mason overwhelmingly defeated Les Tannehill who snagged 17 percent of votes, followed by Charlette Oswalt and Reginald Thompson with 9 percent and 2 percent, respectively.
Mason, who has years of experience in criminal justice, said it was his training along with the need of new leadership that spurred him to seek the sheriff’s position.
“If it’s in your blood, it’s in your blood. I always wanted to do this (run for sheriff or police chief),” Mason said. “Why not put it (training) to good use.”
That training includes work at the Attorney General’s office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hinds County Sheriff’s Department, Jackson Police Department, and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.
As for leadership, Mason said, “There’s no way we could go four more years like this.” Apparently, the majority of voters shared those sentiments.
Pastor Sandra Vaughn-Rucker, who has led Vision Outreach Church and Ministry in Jackson since 2012, voted for Mason. “I’m a praying woman. I believe that it’s just time for some changes. I feel like he will be a great asset and a fair person. There’s no doubt he can do the job,” Vaughn-Rucker said.
At his watch party Tuesday night, two of his opponents – Oswalt and Thompson – came by to congratulate him.
His primary concern as sheriff is to address issues concerning the Hinds County jail/Detention Center in Raymond where a riot broke out in March 2014 leaving one inmate dead and where four inmates escaped in July of this year. “When you see problems in a system … you gotta fix those problems,” said Mason, who plans to get an assessment of the jail and seek assistance from the Department of Justice, including Special Assistant Valerie Gupta and her staff, along with other agencies.
Mason plans to implement a strategy of investigation, intervention, and prevention to improve all issues of the sheriff’s office. He wants to move the enforcement division, currently at the Metro Center, back to Raymond. Other plans include reevaluating and retraining the department’s investigative unit and evaluating personnel. “I want to hold everyone accountable,” Mason said.
Even though it will be a couple of months before Mason officially takes the helm of Hinds County sheriff, he said he is ready to get started.
He will be sworn in Dec. 30 and begin his new job Jan. 4, 2016.
For now he is grateful that the campaign is finished and wants to express thanks to all of his supporters.
“They will not be disappointed,” Mason said
