Voters gave Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin a chance to continue his service to the community after he was elected to lead the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office in November 2022.

McLaughlin had been appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey to the role in 2021 after the conviction of former Sheriff Mike Blakely. Sheriff McLaughlin’s election was a decisive one with nearly 60 percent of the vote in the primary and 82 percent in the general election.

He said in the last year they have “focused on a smooth transition at the Sheriff’s Office with a new sheriff and command staff, training, building relationships with our community, continuing to run a clean and safe jail, continuing to protect and serve our community, and filling open positions.”

McLaughlin added he thinks the transition could not have gone any better.

“We train now more than ever, participating in and hosting community events has helped us to have a more personal relationship with the citizens of Limestone County. The jail is still one of the best and well run jails in the state and Limestone County continues to be a safe place. We are still working to fill open positions.”

Looking forward into the new year – he says there is always room for improvement “and in 2023 we will continue to improve.” One place he says they could use some additional help is in the budget.

“Funding for Law Enforcement could be better. The Sheriff’s Office did not receive additional funding or positions in the budget this year. Limestone County continues to be one of the fastest-growing counties in Alabama. With this comes more responsibilities and, unfortunately, more crime which causes an increase in inmate numbers, calls, increased response times, increased caseloads, etc.,” he said. “The only way to counter these and other issues that come with this growth is to increase your Sheriff’s Office. I hope that in 2023 we can add these additional positions that will assist us with these increased responsibilities.”

A major update for the department in the new year — work on the Limestone County Detention Center.

“We have also begun the process of finishing the jail. With the completion of this project we will be better prepared for the growth,” McLaughlin said.

Above all else, Sheriff McLaughlin said, “the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office could not be more blessed than to have the opportunity to serve and protect the best citizens. Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication to our office.”