- Video shows interviews with candidates for Jackson County Sheriff: Challenger Scott Aughney and Incumbent Sheriff Gary Schuette.
- Each discusses priorities, principles, experience, motivation, and major challenges.
- The two Republican candidates square off August 6th.
(The following is a transcription of two broadcast stories — the first about Incumbent Sheriff Gary Schuette, the second about Challenger Scott Aughney.)
"The millage is something that I believe in and I've gone out on a limb, frankly, to do that," says Incumbent Jackson County Sheriff Gary Schuette, admitting he's all but staked his reputation on the success or failure of the millage.
Millage aside, I talked to Sheriff Schuette about his accomplishments, challenges, and personal motivation to remain Jackson County Sheriff.
"Police work is something that has always been in me."
Schuette says after retiring from Jackson Police in 2016 and becoming an attorney, he just wasn't feeling the same fulfillment. So:
"When this opportunity arose in 2020, I jumped at it. And, since then, I haven't regretted it one bit."
What he thinks makes him a good choice for Jackson County Sheriff?
"A lot of that I base upon my experiences, and I base upon my education. And, you know, frankly, I'm a calm person," says Schuette. "I don't get excited. I don't get it wound up. And you need somebody in this position who is calm and deliberate, and knows what they're doing and is effective at what they are doing."
Schuette's experience includes more than 30 years in law enforcement. I asked him what he sees as Jackson County's main law enforcement challenge?
"Drugs," he says. "And the addiction issues that we have with drugs. And, of course, mental health."
Which, Schuette acknowledges, takes police beyond traditional police work.
A lot of his work involves, as he puts it, "building bridges" to the community.
The goal? Better communication and engagement. For example, to make reporting crime and testifying not feel so intimidating.
"Because, frankly, we're only as good as our witnesses," he notes.
Schuette says there's a lot of explaining to be done so that the community would know how to help police build a case against criminals "and how we might be able to help them and what we might be able to do to kind of carry their torch a little bit farther to make sure that justice is served."
Some problems Schuette has identified: The Crime Victims Unit, which supports crime victims, he says, is only triggered by prosecution. If a crime is not prosecuted, victims can fall through the crack.
"One of my goals in the next four years," he says, "is to establish a crimes services unit…a crime victims services unit."
The unit would help victims regardless of whether a prosecution takes place.
Schuette has also moved forward on training staff on dealing with mental health problems and drug addiction.
Overall, he says, "law enforcement's landscape has changed dramatically in the last decade...and I'm up for that challenge."
____________________________
Scott Aughney says he's running for sheriff for two reasons: because he believes important laws are not being enforced — specifically, election laws — and because he thinks the proposed jail millage is a bad idea. I sat down with Aughney to discuss his views.
Scott Aughney says he's been investigating election violations…and believes he's found evidence of fraud — despite the Michigan Bureau of Elections having reported on 250 post-election audits across the state that, the Secretary of State's Office says, affirm the accuracy and integrity of Michigan's November 2020 election.
"For the past three and a half years of my life, I've been investigating election crimes," says Aughney, "and, specifically, election records. And I have reported things to law enforcement in this county, and the sheriff's department does not want to touch these cases."
Unhappy with what he believes is a lack of action on his reporting, Aughney decided to throw his hat into the ring.
As for the jail millage, Aughney says he's been opposed to it since it was first proposed in 2022: "I just think there's too many holes in the story that Sheriff Schuette is revealing to the public."
Aughney says he has not been able to see the jail, but would like a better assessment of what can and cannot be repaired before imposing a tax increase.
As for what would make him a better sheriff?
"I am an outsider. I am not connected to the people in the County," he says.
Aughney tells me he feels the current sheriff defers too much to other authorities.
"I believe that the Sheriff's department needs to operate autonomously — both with regards to other law enforcement agencies and with other departments in the County," he says.
This, says Aughney, means investigating things others might not be taking up and perhaps thinking outside the state and federal box.
"We still have the gang problems here in Jackson," notes Aughney. "So, apparently, the programs that Washington and Lansing are offering up to Gary Schuette are not working. And I think we may have better solutions from the public within this County versus bureaucrats in Washington and Lansing."
In addition to public engagement, to make Jackson County more self-reliant, Aughney proposes a regional safety crime lab and training officers how to respond to an active shooter situation.
Despite never having worked in law enforcement, Aughney thinks the right principles and a strong backbone are more important than that.
"I think I would be a very good leader," he says. "I'm not afraid to walk alone and stand alone."
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