FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) — Two new sheriffs will take office on Tuesday, Jan. 17 for Lauderdale and Colbert counties.
In Lauderdale County, Joe Hamilton is the elected sheriff. Hamilton worked for the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office for about 21 years and was endorsed by outgoing Sheriff Rick Singleton.
Hamilton told News 19 he was very happy with the way the department had worked in recent years and felt ready for the job.
“I started as a regular patrol assistant, was promoted to sergeant, then to lieutenant and finally to assistant chief,” said Hamilton. “I think all the experience in those other roles really set me up for success.”
In Colbert County, incumbent Frank Williamson was defeated by Eric Balentine.
Balentine has over 25 years of law enforcement experience. He told News 19 that he plans to make several improvements to the Colbert County Sheriff’s Office, the Colbert County Jail and community involvement.
“What we really campaigned for was to be more visible, find our issues and be more proactive and saturate those areas,” Balentine said. “We have asked the residents of Colbert County to trust us to keep them safe and protect their property. And that’s what we’re going to do. Next Tuesday we start racing.
The two elected sheriffs will be sworn in on Sunday, January 15.
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