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Fulton County sheriff-elect wants deputies to patrol streets

Labat unseats longtime sheriff Ted Jackson.

ATLANTA — Fulton County Sheriff Ted Jackson lost his race for a fourth term Tuesday – upset by a challenger who told voters he would put patrol cars on the street.

In Fulton County, the sheriff has historically run the county jail, served warrants and kept the courthouse secure. Pat Labat aims to add to the job description of Fulton sheriff deputies.

"I have made the commitment to put 200 deputies and cars on the street," Labat told an online audience a few days before the August primary runoff. 

Former Fulton Sheriff Myron Freeman was onscreen with him, applauding afterward. 

It’s a promise avoided by most Atlanta-area sheriffs that have separate metro police departments in their jurisdictions.  

In Clayton County, Sheriff Victor Hill has dispatched deputies to crime scenes, though the Clayton County police department -- which is separate from the sheriff's office -- is tasked with handling law enforcement in Clayton.

"I hate when people tell me what I can’t do. It’s a wonderful opportunity," Labat told 11Alive News Wednesday during a break in a post-election golf match.

Labat waged a largely online campaign. He and his wife Jackie were featured in "date night" video with other couples, where their discussions fused personal and public issues.

Elsewhere online, there were numerous endorsements -- including one from NBA great Shaquille O'Neal.

Yet Labat also had a track record – thirty years, he says, in the city department of corrections. The last ten, he ran the city of Atlanta’s jail downtown.

City staff documented the sendoff for Labat’s retirement, which celebrated Labat’s efforts to keep released inmates from returning to jail.

"He went into the arena of recognizing inmates needed a jump start. So he gave them career training," former APD chief Erica Shields says in the city-produced video. "And he gave them a skills and a job. I mean who does that, right? In the corrections industry? That’s a special guy."

Labat says he aims to do the same thing for inmates in the Fulton County jail.

"I view it as an opportunity. We created the number one re-entry program in the country, sought after by many sheriffs offices around the country. There may be some tweaks to the program but again – opportunity," he said.

He faces no Republican opposition in November and will take office in January.

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