Chris Green for Smith County Sheriff

Constitutional Conservative Leadership for Smith County

Our county deserves a true servant leader - someone who will say no to wasteful spending and find creative solutions to the staffing issues in Smith County jails.

To me, “to serve” isn’t just a pair of words. In law enforcement, to serve means to guarantee total service to those you’ve sworn to protect. That’s been my guiding star for the over 30 years I’ve spent in law enforcement.

The citizens of Smith County deserve a conservative leader and champion who will trim excessive spending and make our county a safer place to raise a family.

That’s why I, Chris Green, chose to run for Smith County Sheriff.

Learn About What I Represent

Our Jail has staffing issues

It’s no secret that the Smith County jail has staffing issues. We have dedicated jail staff who want to serve you, but they aren’t provided with the right resources and proper management.

We suffer from a shortage of staff at our jail, which puts the ratio of detention officers to inmates at dangerous levels. It isn’t a case of if this will be deadly, but when.

I will re-tool our jail staff, reducing the excess bureaucracy and management-level employees and adding more ground-level officers. This will allow us to have three eight-hour shifts instead of two twelve-hour shifts, keeping our officers safer and happier.

Learn What Else I Will Do

Taxpayers Deserve Responsible Spending

We’ve increased our taxes in Smith County to provide more funding for law enforcement. Where is that money going? Why do our jails still have staffing issues, and why do we still lack patrol officers in so many of our communities?

In my first 90 days, I will meet with officials to create a plan to provide a better work environment for jail employees to boost our retention rates. We will also strategize creative ways to increase our funding without raising taxes.

When the Smith County Jail was first constructed, the taxpayers were promised we would house federal prisoners to bring more funds to Smith County. Well, that jail was constructed and no federal prisoners are currently housed in Smith County.

I will coordinate with the US Marshall Service to let them house federal inmates in our prison. This will bring more federal funding to our county and reduce employee travel, ultimately saving the taxpayers money.

My First 90 Days in Office

Mental Health Cases

With increasing frequency, law enforcement is called upon to be the first responders to individuals in serious mental health crises. It is a must that law enforcement officers are trained in understanding and handling mental illness.

The goal is to keep the officer safe, the mentally ill person safe, and reduce the liability on the part of the officer and the county. As Sheriff, I will make sure all of our officers have the training needed to identify various disorders they encounter and how to appropriately handle each.

Our officers will learn to evaluate a person’s intellectual functioning and his/her behavioral and emotional reactions.

Our officers will follow the law and policy with these matters but will also utilize a common sense approach. Our nation’s system of jails and prisons has now become the largest facility for persons with mental illness.

As Sheriff,