Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy Unopposed In Re-Election Bid

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy announced this week that he is seeking re-election in November.

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He will run unopposed on the Nov. 3 general election ballot, with no other candidates qualifying with the Alabama Secretary of State's Office.

“I am proud to announce I am seeking another term as your sheriff,” Abernathy wrote in a post on Facebook. “It is my great privilege to serve the people of Tuscaloosa County.”

Abernathy has spent more than three decades with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and credited the agency’s employees for improvements in public safety across the county.

“I want to say thank you to the dedicated employees of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office whose hard work and professionalism make Tuscaloosa a safer and more prosperous place to live, work, and raise a family,” he wrote. “Serving alongside you is an honor.”

Abernathy says crime has declined throughout the county during his tenure, a result he attributed to the work of deputies and staff across all divisions of the Sheriff’s Office.

“The efforts of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office have greatly reduced crime in every area of our county,” he said.

Abernathy was first hired by the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in 1988 under then-Sheriff Beasor Walker. He was later promoted to chief deputy in 1998 and then appointed by Gov. Bob Riley to serve as sheriff from 2008 to 2009.

He was first elected to the position in 2014, beginning his term in January 2015.

As sheriff, Abernathy oversees approximately 215 employees and has jurisdiction over 1,340 square miles.

The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office operates a 540-bed, nationally accredited jail facility and is responsible for homicide investigations, criminal investigations, jail operations and narcotics enforcement.

The agency also says it maintains criminal clearance rates above the national average.

A lifelong Tuscaloosa County resident, Abernathy is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in criminal justice. He also served more than 10 years in the U.S. Army as a military police officer.

His professional training includes graduation from the FBI National Academy, Leadership Tuscaloosa and Leadership Alabama programs, along with specialized training in U.S. Secret Service protective operations, counterdrug special weapons and tactics, incident command systems and homeland security operations.

Abernathy currently serves on the boards of PRIDE (Parents Resource Institute Drug Education of Tuscaloosa) and Alabama One Credit Union.

Over the course of his career, he has received numerous honors, including the 2003 Mental Health Community Excellence Award, the 2006 Tuscaloosa County Officer of the Year Award, the 2017 Tuscaloosa County FOP Leadership Award and multiple Sheriff’s Certificate of Merit awards.

Looking ahead to the November election, Abernathy said he hopes voters will allow him to continue his work.

“I look forward to continuing our work together for another four years,” he wrote. “I ask for your vote in November.”

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