Re-Elect Sheriff Lafayette Woods, Jr.

I would like to welcome you to the official website for the Campaign to Re-Elect Sheriff Lafayette Woods, Jr.  Thank you for taking the time to visit my site and your desire to learn more about Sheriff Woods’ re-election campaign for the Office of Sheriff. 

I am honored by the confidence the great citizens of Jefferson County placed in me nearly seven years ago when they elected me as the 32nd Sheriff. Since that day, my guiding principle has remained unchanged: to provide every resident with the highest level of public safety through ethical conduct and genuine compassion.

I began my career more than two decades ago as a deputy sheriff in the Uniformed Patrol Division, and through hard work and dedication I have had the privilege to serve in progressively responsible roles, sergeant and lieutenant with the Drug Task Force, major in Internal Affairs, liaison to the DEA HIDTA program, and, by gubernatorial appointment, as a commissioner on the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training. Along the way, I earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA), advanced law enforcement certifications and completed premier nationally recognized professional development leadership training through the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy and the Criminal Justice Institute.  

During my first two terms, our office faced historic flooding, record snowstorms, and a global pandemic and we met every challenge head-on. Together with the dedicated men and women of the sheriff’s office, we established the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has raised critical resources for specialized equipment, professional development and scholarship opportunities for our deputies and their families. Under my administration, we have secured over $1 million in grant funding to support crime-reduction strategies, expand food distribution partnerships, enhance courthouse security, advance law-enforcement technology for greater efficiency, and fund peer-recovery specialists for opioid and substance-use intervention in our county jail. We deployed cutting-edge systems such as RFID detainee-tracking and teleconferencing to reduce transport costs and improve accountability, and we achieved perfect compliance on every state and federal jail inspection.

As part of my commitment to public safety, I am pleased to report that year-to-date crime in Jefferson County has fallen from 635 reported incidents last year to just 579 this year, a reduction of 56 incidents, or 8.82%. Moreover, crime has declined 16.31% overall and a reduction in major or violent crimes by 12.7% since assuming office. These improvements reflect the dedication and hard work of our deputies, community partners, and the citizens of Jefferson County.

Additionally, we launched the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-Based Program, with dozens of peer-support cohorts graduating and helping lead efforts in introducing Pine Bluff (Jefferson County’s) first evidence-based Group Violence Intervention model to target and reduce group gun-related violence. We overhauled departmental policy, secured increased pay and benefits for all personnel, championed key public-safety legislation, and strengthened recruitment and retention ensuring our agency remains prepared for tomorrow’s challenges.

I have worked side-by-side with my staff to achieve excellence in many areas. Our office has been able to complete the following improvements and accomplishments:

• -8.82% reduction in crime year-to-date, -12.7% reduction in major or violent crimes, and-16.31% reduction in overall crime within Jefferson County since assuming office

  

• Establishment of a committee to form the foundational structure of Jefferson County Sheriff's Office first 501©3 non-profit foundation (Jefferson County Sheriff's Foundation, Inc.). The purpose of the foundation aims to innovatively expand, enhance and sustain our delivery of public safety services to the citizens of Jefferson County by providing financial support beyond the scope of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office's normal operating budget in areas such as specialized equipment and technology, professional development of deputies and staff and scholarship opportunities for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office employees and their children
   

  

• Secured over $1 million in grant funding to support crime-reduction strategies, expand food-distribution partnerships, enhance courthouse security, advance law-enforcement technology for greater efficiency

• Acquisition and installation of Guardian Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), an advanced cloud-based business and artificial intelligence technology used as a personnel management tool as well as jail detainee tracking, cell checking, security checking and record keeping tool to also help optimize staff performance and manage detainees more effectively. Through the same partnership, we were also able to acquire the Justice Bridge program, a teleconferencing system installed in each prison in Arkansas and now in the sheriff's office, jail and circuit court room in Jefferson County to connect detainees and the county judicial system that not only helps defray costs associated with jail detainee transportation at no cost to taxpayers, but also help reduce risks involved in transporting jail detainees to court

• 100% completion of jail standards inspections at both the state and federal level for the W.C. "Dub" Brassell Adult Detention Center (DBDC) and Jack Jones Juvenile Justice Center
   
• Introduction of the first Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-Based Program (COAP) inside the W.C. "Dub" Brassell Adult Detention Center. The program is aimed to aid in reducing the stigma associated with detainees suffering from substance abuse disorders through law enforcement and community educational efforts, increased awareness about opioid crisis and strategies by peer recovery support specialists. To date, the program has graduated two classes
   
• Championed the introduction of Pine Bluff Group Violence Intervention (GVI) formally the Gang Reduction Initiative of Pine Bluff (G.R.I.P.), leveraging the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) evidence-based Comprehensive Gang Model to reduce gang-related crime

As I near the end of my second term, I do so with immense pride in what we have accomplished and with even greater anticipation for the work that lies ahead. If honored to serve a third term, I will deepen our community outreach and collaborative crime-prevention initiatives, adopt new data-driven practices to increase transparency and operational efficiency, expand mental health and substance-use interventions both in the field and inside our detention centers, pursue additional grants to expand modernization of our fleet and training programs, and advocate for legislative reforms that support victims of crimes and hold offenders accountable.

I remain ever mindful that the office of sheriff is one of public trust. I will continue to treat every person with fairness, show favor to none, and enforce the law to the best of my ability while seeking the counsel and cooperation of all citizens. I am deeply grateful for the privilege of serving Jefferson County and humbly ask for your support and vote in the 2026 Democratic primary. Together, let us keep our families safe, our communities strong, and our future bright.

- Sheriff Lafayette Woods, Jr.