A CHANGE
FOR THE BETTER
A PROVEN RECORD OF EXPERIENCE, HONESTY, INTEGRITY, AND TRUTH
Record of Experience, Trust, & Fairness
Former Assistant Chief Reginald L. HUBBARD is running for Shelby County Sheriff. He brings a career marked by outstanding character and broad experience as a jailer, deputy sheriff, and jail assistant chief. With more than 36 years in law enforcement and corrections, he is recognized for his dedication to upholding the law and safeguarding the community's safety and well-being. His leadership and ability to tackle complex challenges have earned him respect from colleagues and the public alike.
HUBBARD's campaign centers on transparency and accountability to strengthen community relationships and create a safer environment for everyone. He has a proven record of ethical leadership and professional conduct, consistently demonstrating a commitment to community service and equal justice for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or status. Through the strategies outlined below, he aims to build a safer, stronger Shelby County grounded in trust, transparency, and collaboration.
Priorities for Public Safety
- Community-Oriented Policing: Fostering collaboration between law enforcement and the community to create safer streets and a safer Shelby County.
- Community-Unity Partnerships (CAPs): Collaborating with residents, businesses, and organizations to enhance public safety.
- Refocusing enforcement to deter violent crime, lawlessness, illegal drugs, and deadly narcotics.
Supporting First Responders & Crisis Intervention
- Providing accessible resources and reliable information to the public.
- Maintaining an accurate and accessible database of contacts for Police & Fire first responders.
- Increasing the number of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officers
Jail Oversight & Reform
- Establishing a stronger, transparent, and independent body of retired community professionals to monitor jail conditions and ensure compliance.
- Strengthening jail oversight, data reporting, and inmate management to enhance accountability, transparency, and efficiency.
- Implementing effective oversight measures to investigate in-custody deaths, inmate complaints, and use-of-force incidents, consistent with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) 2015 recommendations.
- Aggressively recruiting and training deputy jailers and supervisors to address chronic staffing shortages that threaten jail safety and security.
- Updating use-of-force policies.
- Increasing minimum training hours for deputy jailers, with an emphasis on de-escalation and mental health care.
- Addressing urgent infrastructure issues, including sanitation, water, and sewage, and improving access to mental health care for inmates in crisis.
- Expanding rehabilitation and diversion programs to reduce recidivism.
- Exploring strategies and solutions to reduce the jail population, such as bail reform, to ensure that detention is not based solely on inability to pay and to ease pressure on the system.
A Call for Immediate Change
- Shelby County taxpayers urgently need effective improvements to the jail system. “A Change for the Better” is not just a good idea—it is a necessity.
- The 2025 Jail Needs Assessment outlines a comprehensive modernization plan, including consideration of a new centralized facility. However, expanding jail capacity alone won't address the fundamental management, operational, infrastructural, and cultural challenges.
- HUBBARD recommends prioritizing immediate issues, including infrastructure, court processes, bail reform, staffing, training, and career development, while also undertaking detailed research and planning for the new jail.