My name is Kimberly Middleton and I am running for Sheriff of Chatham County.

I am breaking
a barrier that exists for women in Chatham County. A woman has never run for the Office of
Sheriff here. But, I am the woman who is determined to make a major difference in the way we
do business in Chatham County.
Allow me to tell you a little about what the Sheriff does: The Office of the Sheriff is mandated
by law to perform certain functions for the County. One such function is to maintain the
County jail. The Sheriff is also mandated to execute all warrants, civil processes,
subpoenas, and writs delivered to him by the courts. The Chatham County Sheriff's
Office currently provides this service to all courts which include: Recorders, Magistrate,
State, Probate, and Superior Court.
I am running for Sheriff of Chatham County because I am home grown; I am vested in this
community; and I am a product of this community. I was raised in the hood, but I am not a
casualty of my environment. I am a hard worker who worked her way up through the ranks to
achieve success within the Sheriffs Office. I am something good that came out of the hood.
I know the community. There is no place in Chatham County that I cannot or will not go. We
need a Sheriff who is willing to go out into the community and engage the citizens of Chatham
County. It is not enough to sit within the four walls of the office and call yourself Sheriff.
The Community needs a Sheriff who will hire people, good people who need jobs and can do the
work. Currently, the Sheriffs Office has problems unlike ever before for example: it is currently
down 66 officers; it has seen a large increase of lawsuits; and cost over-runs associated with the
Medical contract are substantial.
We need a Sheriff that will make a major difference. I am coming out of retirement to run for
Sheriff, because I have the knowledge, training and experience to do the job. I am driven by my
passion for this community and the people that live and work here.
As Sheriff,
1.) I will fight for the employees to increase their salaries, eliminate inequities in pay and
establish written guidelines for holiday pay.
2.) I will develop a recruitment plan that will reduce the number of vacancies within the
Department.
3.) I want to be the peoples Sheriff. And, as Sheriff, I will have an open door policy where
the citizens of Chatham County can come and speak to me about their concerns and their
issues.
4.) I will create an environment of community and family that will extend beyond the
boundaries of the jail. All deputies in the jail, courts and street will be trained and cross
trained to work in all areas of the department.
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I am running for Sheriff because I believe we can do better. When you know better, you must do
better. Yes, we have technology. But its ineffective when no one knows how to use it. Yes, we
have promotional processes, but it is ineffective when the employees are not given the
opportunity to compete on a level playing field.
I grew up in the Sheriff Office. I have worked with and for six (6) jail administrators; two (2)
Chief Deputies and two (2) Sheriffs during my tenure with the Sheriffs Office. I worked behind
the scenes, giving 200% to every assignment and every task. Sheriff St Lawrence recognized my
ability to create and develop processes within the organization. He promoted me to Captain. He
appointed me to Major. And, upon my retirement, he attended and spoke at my retirement
ceremony, though he was sick. His actions made a difference. His presence made a difference.
And, his words spoke volumes to those from the Community, who attended the event. It made a
difference.
My platform is simple. I want to make a major difference in the way Chatham County Sheriff
Office does business.
5.) We must provide programs for women who are incarcerated. More and more women are
coming to jail, but there are few programs which provide rehabilitation and re-entry
socialization. The women need parenting classes, job skill training and a full scale work
release program equal to the male equivalent.
6.) We must provide equal opportunity for women and minority business owners within this
community to competitively bid on all programs and all service contracts utilized by the
Sheriffs Office.
7.) We must establish a Citizens Review Board to review and to examine disciplinary actions;
we must ensure a fair and equitable disciplinary and termination process.
8.) As Sheriff, I will be transparent, open and forthright with the Citizens of Chatham County.
I will engage the stakeholders in the community. I will establish an open door policy with the
community and allow the citizens to actively participate in resolving the problems that the
Sheriffs Office faces. As Sheriff, I will attend Community meetings in any neighbor. I want to
actively participate in resolving the problems in our community.
9.) I believe that all areas of the Sheriffs Office should be accredited. A National
Accreditation of both the Enforcement and Corrections Bureaus will provide and ensure
updated, legal standards, procedures and policies.
10.) As Sheriff, I promise to work with the City of Savannah and other municipalities to
prevent, deter and eliminate crime. I will collaborate with businesses, organizations, and
schools, to establish rehabilitation and re-entry programs designed to get people back into
society as productive citizens who will obtain jobs and take care of their families. I will expand
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our community service efforts to include programs for the senior citizens and children within
our community. We must find a way to protect our elderly and our young children.
11.) As Sheriff, I will establish an ante-discrimination policy in the jail that will protect legally
incarcerated members of the LGBT community. And, I will also establish a Diversity Advisory
Committee to address the concerns of the Muslim, Latino and Asian Communities regarding
arrest and incarceration in Chatham County.
12.) I will introduce a quarterly accountability report which will be published and made available
to the citizens of Chatham County.
I will protect the Community by keeping them informed and engaged. We cannot continue to
operate the way we do. I am Kim Middleton, and I am running for Sheriff of Chatham
County because I want to make a MAJOR difference in our community.

As Sheriff of Chatham County, Kim Middleton will:

1.) Fight for the employees to increase their salaries, eliminate inequities in pay and establish
written guidelines for holiday pay;
2.) Develop a recruitment plan that will reduce the number of vacancies within the
Department;
3.) Have an open door policy where the citizens of Chatham County can come and speak to
me about their concerns and their issues;
4.) Create an environment of community and family that will extend beyond the boundaries
of the jail. All deputies in the jail, courts and street will be trained and cross trained to work
in all areas of the department;
5.) Impart programs for women who are incarcerated. More and more women are coming to
jail, but there are few programs which provide rehabilitation and re-entry socialization. The
women need parenting classes, job skill training and a full scale work release program equal
to the male equivalent;
6.) Afford equal opportunities for women and minority business owners within this
community to competitively bid on all programs and all service contracts utilized by the
Sheriffs Office;
7.) Establish a Citizens Review Board to review and to examine disciplinary actions; we must
ensure a fair and equitable disciplinary and termination process;
8.) Will be transparent, open and forthright with the Citizens of Chatham County. She will
engage the stakeholders in the community. She will establish an open door policy with the
community and allow the citizens to actively participate in resolving the problems that the
Sheriffs Office faces. As Sheriff, Kim will attend Community meetings in any neighbor. She
wants to actively participate in resolving the problems in our community.
9.) Kim believes that all areas of the Sheriffs Office should be accredited. A National
Accreditation of both the Enforcement and Corrections Bureaus will provide and ensure
updated, legal standards, procedures and policies.
10.) As Sheriff, she promises to work with the City of Savannah and other municipalities to
prevent, deter and eliminate crime. She will collaborate with businesses, organizations, and
schools, to establish rehabilitation and re-entry programs designed to get people back into
society as productive citizens who will obtain jobs and take care of their families. She will
expand community service efforts to include programs for the senior citizens and children
within our community;

11.) Establish an anti-discrimination policy in the jail that will protect legally incarcerated
members of the LGBT community. And, she will also establish a Diversity Advisory
Committee to address the concerns of the Muslim, Latino and Asian Communities regarding
arrest and incarceration in Chatham County;
12.) And, she will introduce a quarterly accountability report which will be published and
made available to the citizens of Chatham County.