ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Having lived in Washtenaw County for more than 20 years, Derrick Jackson has seen the community grow but knows there is still more work to be done.
A community engagement director and father, Jackson is running to be the next Washtenaw County Sheriff.
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He believes that building a more just and trusted sheriff’s office starts with engaging everyone in the county and reforming policies through bold ideas.
The following interview was conducted via email.
In your opinion, what are some of the biggest issues the county faces? How do you intend to tackle these, if elected?
When it comes to crime-related problems in our community, domestic violence and gun violence are two of the top issues. However, we must also focus on the larger systemic issues behind the crime problems we face. There’s a reason Washtenaw County remains one of the most economically segregated counties in America and this has a direct impact on crime and violence. Crime is not solely a police problem. It’s a community issue that demands collective action. As Sheriff, I have a vision and framework that pulls us together and pushes us to once and for all begin addressing these larger systemic challenges. A failure to do so will continue the cycle of using police to deal with the symptomatic causes of crime because our communities are unwilling to address the true root causes. Safe communities are healthy and well communities and this is one of the primary reasons I am running for Sheriff.
Sixty percent of the victims in Washtenaw County are women and a large portion are related to domestic violence. The pure number of families impacted, the long-term implications for our community, the potential lethality domestic abuse poses, and the officer safety implications compel us to do all we can to prevent future violence.
I’m proposing a six point plan where we make domestic violence a top priority, implement trauma-informed practices and better training for officers, create a personal protective order fund so survivors of domestic violence are never charged for this service, establish a county-wide domestic violence response task force, enhance the domestic violence review team to learn from past issues, and invest in community-based solutions to assist survivors and their families.
It’s also true that eighty to eighty-five percent of street-level gun violence in our service area is retaliatory in nature. To impact this reality, we must be willing to address the fear, anger, and trauma that breeds retaliation. We have to employ both effective law enforcement strategies to remove guns from our streets and invest in community-based initiatives.
Part of my current role has been to lead the creation and implementation of innovative programs such as the WeLIVE retaliation prevention program, and the facilitation of the Community Violence Intervention Team, which developed a comprehensive 14-point plan to reduce gun violence. Both are effectively working and as Sheriff I will enhance and expand these invaluable programs. Simultaneously, our detectives have achieved an unprecedented rate of solving homicides, demonstrating that we can do both, hold individuals accountable and also invest in preventative measures.
What are some changes that you would like to see be made at the Sheriff’s Office?
Having spent fifteen years at the Sheriff’s Office I have fifteen years worth of ideas. We’ve done amazing things over that time, but I wouldn’t be running for Sheriff if I thought we were done or if we were perfect. In fact, I have a 17-page platform outlining our future plans, and I invite everyone to review it for more detail on our vision for the future.
I intend to introduce front-end community oversight to ensure the community’s voice is heard proactively, rather than waiting for something unfortunate to occur. This approach has community members play a role in determining who is suited to wear the badge and assisting in shaping future policies - an essential shift in our practices. In alignment with this, we will introduce a comprehensive transparency initiative, which includes granting public access to our entire policy manual, conducting thorough data analysis to identify potential biases in operational practices, and establishing a public data warehouse.
I want to immediately begin investing in deputies differently. Recognizing the significance of officer wellness, I am committed to ensuring that they feel appreciated, receive competitive compensation, have the mental health support they need, and benefit from policies that prioritize their well-being.
When I started all those years ago, we didn’t invest a single dollar into diversion, deflection, alternatives to incarceration, reentry services, or prevention. We now invest more than $4.7 million each year. So although it’s not a departure from our current practice, justice reinvestment is one area that I will enhance. Justice reinvestment is the practice of reallocating resources from the back end of the system into more preventative up-front solutions.
What do you love most about Washtenaw County?
There is so much to love about our county. I ran track and graduated from Eastern Michigan University and then went to grad school at the University of Michigan so both campuses hold special memories for me. I love our college town feel. I appreciate when students flood into the county each spring and how much energy and life is added. We care about people and have so many who are willing to give.
I love that twenty plus years of living here and I still haven’t visited every single park in our county - although my oldest daughter and I made it a fun mission to do so. I love that parts of our community are rural and haven’t been tapped for development and that with just a few minutes drive you can reach a bustling downtown. That diversity of place is something you can’t find everywhere.
It’s a county where it’s possible for a poor kid from Inkster to graduate from a prestigious university, transition to a career in social work, move to overseeing elections for the entire county, then serve in law enforcement, and now stand on the brink of leading as Sheriff. A remarkable journey fostered by this community. I don’t know many counties in our state where that journey would even be possible.
Learn more about Derrick Jackson at his campaign website.
All About Ann Arbor reached out to all three candidates running for the position of Washtenaw County Sheriff with the same questions.