The Alabama state primaries will be held May 19. For a rundown of all the races impacting 280 corridor residents, read our full story on the elections.
Here is a closer look at the candidates for Shelby County Sheriff.
Ken Bailey
Ken Bailey
Ken Bailey is running for Shelby County sheriff.
Ken Bailey is a retired Air Force veteran and longtime law enforcement officer running for Shelby County sheriff. Bailey says his campaign is focused on school safety, combating drug and human trafficking and increasing accountability within law enforcement.
Born in Birmingham in 1965, Bailey graduated from Pinson Valley High School before joining the U.S. Air Force in 1987. During his 27-year military career, he served as an aircrew member on C-130, C-5 and 707 aircraft, including active-duty and Air Force Reserve assignments. His final tour involved work with Homeland Security at Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West, Florida, where he worked on counter-drug operations targeting narcotics trafficking routes into the United States.
Bailey retired from the Air Force in 2013 and later pursued a career in law enforcement. He earned an associate degree in aviation operations and management from the Community College of the Air Force, along with a law enforcement certificate and associate degree in law enforcement from Jefferson State Community College. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in homeland security and public safety from Herzing University.
His law enforcement experience includes work with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, where he served in the jail division and later on patrol in Birmingham and Bessemer. He currently works as a police officer and has more than 20 years of combined law enforcement experience.
Bailey says his campaign priorities include assigning a dedicated school resource officer to every school in the county, strengthening efforts against drug and human trafficking and expanding the use of drones and K-9 units in law enforcement operations. He has also emphasized constitutional rights, public safety and support for law enforcement officers.
Bailey and his wife, Cindy, have been married since 1985. They have three children and eight grandchildren.
John Samaniego
Photo courtesy of Shelby County Sheriff’s website
John Samaniego
John Samaniego is running for re-election as Shelby County sheriff.
John Samaniego is seeking re-election as Shelby County sheriff after first being elected to the office in 2014. A longtime law enforcement official with more than 40 years of experience, Samaniego previously served as chief deputy of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and assistant chief of police for the Tuscaloosa Police Department.
After graduating from the University of Alabama, Samaniego began his law enforcement career with the Tuscaloosa Police Department, where he spent more than 20 years working in narcotics investigations before being promoted to assistant chief of police. He joined the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in 2003 as chief deputy and later won election as sheriff in 2014.
As sheriff, Samaniego oversees the operations and administration of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, including management of a more than 550-bed jail facility, more than 240 employees and a departmental budget of approximately $22 million.
Samaniego earned a bachelor’s degree in social work with a concentration in criminal justice from the University of Alabama and later earned a juris doctorate from Birmingham School of Law. He is also a graduate of the University of Alabama Law Enforcement Academy, the FBI National Academy, the FBI National Executive Institute, the National Sheriff’s Institute and several other law enforcement leadership programs.
Throughout his career, Samaniego has held leadership and advisory roles with numerous law enforcement and public safety organizations, including the Alabama Peace Officers Association, Alabama Fraternal Order of Police, Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission and Regional Organized Crime Information Center. He has also served with organizations and initiatives focused on drug prevention, school violence prevention and community corrections.
Samaniego and his wife, Shirley, live in north Shelby County and have one daughter, Sophia.
