Meet the candidates for Tarrant County sheriff in the November 5 general election

Incumbent Bill Waybourn, a Republican, faces Democratic challenger Patrick Moses in the race for Tarrant County Sheriff in November. The Sheriff’s Office operates county jails and provides law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of the county.

Waybourn, who served in the Air Force and as police chief of Dalworthington Gardens before starting as sheriff in 2017, has faced criticism during his tenure for deaths and other safety issues in the county jail. His campaign did not respond to several messages seeking responses to the Star-Telegram’s candidate questionnaire.

Moses has worked in law enforcement at the federal level, holding several roles in the Department of Homeland Security, and is active in several community organizations in Tarrant County.

The candidate’s responses to our questionnaire are presented as they were answered. They have not been altered or edited in any way.

Bill Waybourn

Did not respond.

Patrick Moses

Political party: Democrat

Age: 60

Campaign website: https://mosesforsheriff.com/

Best way for voters to reach you: patrick.mosesforsheriff@gmail.com

Occupation:

Retired Federal Law Enforcement Executive, Assistant Director for Field Operations, Federal Protective Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Education:

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Master of Public Administration, Southern University A&M College; Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry, Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University

Have you run for elected office before?

Texas 6th Congressional District (Special Election 2021)

Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism:

Currently serving on Mansfield Capital Improvements Advisory Committee; Commissioner, Mansfield Planning and Zoning Commission; Founding Member, Faith and Justice Coalition of Tarrant County; Life Member, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Nu Pi Lambda Chapter; Life Member, Southern University Alumni Association; Member, International Association of Chiefs of Police; former president, North Texas Chapter, American Society for Public Administration; past member, United Community Centers Board of Directors, the Lena Pope Home Board of Directors; past member, treasurer, vice president, and president, Tarrant Area Food Bank; former chair, Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex Combined Federal Campaign; and former vice chair and chair, the Dallas Fort Federal Executive Board; past member, Citizen Planning Steering Committee (Mansfield 2040, Future Land Use Plan).

Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain:

No

Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain:

No

Who are your top three campaign contributors?

Rep. Chris Turner

Domingo Garcia

North East Tarrant County Democrats

Why are you seeking this office?

Based on the 67 in-custody deaths, including a newborn baby, and the lack of accountability and transparency surrounding those deaths, there is a need for competent leadership and less political activism by the Tarrant County Sheriff. As the elected chief peace officer for the county, the Sheriff is a leadership and management position. My previous leadership position, leading and managing a large federal law enforcement arm within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, equips me with the requisite operational and business acumen to serve as Sheriff of Tarrant County. I know how to develop a practical operational and business strategy to execute the constitutional duties of the Sheriff. I am running to transform the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office into a model, competent law enforcement agency.

What are your top 3 policy priorities?

My three top policy priorities are: 1) Creating a Citizen Oversight Commission to review all use-of-force actions and in-custody deaths; 2) Shepherding 100P3, a comprehensive review of the Sheriff’s Office practices, policies, and procedures in the first 100 days through continuous citizen collaboration, including improving Officer Safety and recruitment, professional development, and retention initiatives; and 3) Championing a “whole of community” approach to provide diversion alternatives for mentally ill, non-violent Class C misdemeanor individuals.

Why should voters choose you over your opponent(s)?

I am offering the people of Tarrant County my executive leadership experience in seeking the Office of Sheriff, the chief peace officer for the county. The constitutional role of the Sheriff is less about partisan politics and personal ambition; it is about executive leadership. Over my public service career, I served in progressively responsible leadership positions, managing multi-million-dollar budgets and leading law enforcement officers, criminal investigators, business professionals, and contractors in executing our core mission. Tarrant County needs an accomplished leader who will prioritize keeping the people safe, conserving taxpayer dollars from avoidable civil litigations, and is committed to accountability, transparency, and the rule of law.

Do you believe that recent scrutiny over deaths, drugs and other issues in the county jail will have an effect on this race?

Absolutely. How can U.S. Marine Anthony Johnson’s death in the Tarrant County Jail not cause the voters of this thriving county, a community of over 2.2 million people committed to the rule of law, not to question the condition and culture of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office? Has our politics become so polarized, which causes us not to value human life from conception to death? When do we place human life, even those accused of violating the laws of our great state, over our divisive political ideologies? The Sheriff’s, the chief peace officer for the county, core function is to manage and lead a law enforcement agency. Accountability and transparency in the Sheriff’s Office will mitigate the recent scrutiny of the Tarrant County Jail. The Sheriff must focus on doing the core constitutional functions of that office and stop focusing on the mission set by the governor-appointed Secretary of State (the conspiracy of voter fraud in Tarrant County) or the presidential-appointed and Senate-confirmed Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Commissioner for U.S. Border and Customs Protection (the opened Southern Border).

This story was originally published October 7, 2024 at 4:05 PM.

Cody Copeland

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Cody Copeland was an accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He previously reported from Mexico for Courthouse News and Mexico News Daily.