Kirt Beasley wants to be the next Fulton County Sheriff
By Isaiah Singleton
Fulton County resident Kirt Beasley officially announced her candidacy for Fulton County Sheriff. Beasley will run in the May 21 Democratic primary to seek the party’s nomination for Fulton County Sheriff.
Beasley sat down with The Atlanta Voice to discuss her career in law enforcement, her candidacy, and why she believes now is the right time to challenge for the position of sheriff of Georgia’s largest county.
Why now?
With over 23 years of law enforcement experience, Beasley said she is best for the position because she’s “homegrown”.
Beasley began her career with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department where she served the entirety of her career rising through the ranks under several previous administrations, including under current Fulton County Sheriff Patrick LaBat as a contractor due to her experience.
“I was hired in 1994 by then Fulton County Sheriff Jacquelyn Harrison Barrett and I worked my entire career, basically at the jail. I started as a deputy and was promoted to the rank of sergeant, promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, then to the rank of captain, then the rank of major, and all the way up to the assistant chief jailer,” she said. “So, through all those years there, I learned the sheriff’s office and I know the job. No one had to teach me the job. I worked in management. So, what I have now is to put all the knowledge that I learned over the years, execute it, and put it into action.”
With an extensive law background, Beasley said she is choosing to run now simply because she cares, she said.
“I care about the employees that work at the sheriff’s office, I care about the people who are detained at the sheriff’s office, I care about the taxpayers of Fulton County, and I care about the people who have loved ones incarcerated at the jail,” she said. “I can hear the silent cries of the staff who are working at that jail now, where they don’t have enough staff to ensure their safety.”
Additionally, Beasley said she can hear the silent cries of the inmates who want many things changed, including an adequate number of staff at the jail to protect them.
“I can hear screams of the taxpayers because we don’t have enough staff, or there’s not enough staff at that jail, and you have inmates who are assaulted. We had one inmate killed by another. We have things like that happen. Lawsuits happen, resulting in taxpayers’ money having to pay out these lawsuits,” she said. “I can hear the cries of those loved ones who have people incarcerated at that jail. They want people in place to take care of their children, sons, daughters, husbands, and wives. The only thing I could think about is if you had someone or friend or whatever that to you, you would be relying on the sheriff’s office to take care of your loved one.”
The Importance of Family
Family is very important, said Beasley, who is a wife, a mother of two daughters, and a grandmother of two. She has been married to her husband, Ken, for 19 years.
“He’s the best and he’s great. Our 19 years have been fine, we’re enjoying and have enjoyed those years, and we plan to enjoy life together,” she said.
Beasley said her two daughters are scientists in their own field of study.
“One, works in a study of cancer research, and the other does, organ transplantation,” she said. “Then, I have my heartbeats, a 12-year-old grandson, and my five-year-old granddaughter.”
Ken believes his wife is the best choice for the job.
“I feel great my wife is running for Sheriff in Fulton County. I think she’s best for the agency, the citizens, and taxpayers, point blank,” he said. “You couldn’t get a better candidate who knows that.”
Speaking of family, Beasley strongly believes in the power of community, engagement, and collaboration.
Community, she said, is an extension of family.
“It’s just like a family, so how I would incorporate community into my life as it relates to Fulton County, it would be an extension of my family. This means what I would do for my family, I would do it for the citizens of Fulton County,” she said.
When it comes to collaboration, she said it’s working together as a family.
“The Sheriff’s Office will have to work with the citizens of Fulton County to make the county better as a whole,” she said. “When it comes to engagement, I look at it like couples becoming engaged, getting along, getting to know each other, and working together towards a common goal.”
Kirt Beasley for Fulton County Sheriff
Beasley’s response to the many issues at the county jail is rooted in action and care.
“You must have a share in an agency in place, ready to ensure the safety of the people detained at that jail. So, I believe this action speaks louder than words. You must put yourself into action,” she said. “The sheriff must know that the sheriff’s office is not to be used for his or her personal agenda. It’s all about the citizens of Fulton County.”
Beasley gave an example of this.
“The jail is the largest liability to the citizens of Fulton County, so if you see that’s your biggest problem, then you need to adjust staff and reallocate staff. As I see the current administration, they have sheriff’s deputies patrolling, running radar, and running speed traps. I see beautiful units all over the city, but then you have so many bad things happening at the jail,” Beasley said. “As a sheriff, you must know how to redeploy and hire staff to address your biggest problem area. Right now, that area is Fulton County Jail, and the focus should be right there.”
Also, Beasley said she knows there are other duties of the sheriff’s office.
“I know we’re responsible for the courts securing the courts. I know we’re responsible for serving civil papers, executing warrants, and all the things that come with the sheriff’s office, but you must deal with your most pressing problem first to make a difference,” she said.
If elected, Beasley said she’s going to bring her knowledge and experience to the table.
“With that knowledge and experience, I’m going to bring some other knowledge and experience with me,” Beasley said. “I’m going to look for people with the same work ethics, values, and morals. I must come in there and put the county first and put the inmates first, the staff first. I’m going to have people working around me to make me better.”
She also said if elected, her priority will be to address the jail conditions like being overcrowded, understaffed, and ultimately unsafe. She also plans to prioritize funds for necessary facility improvements, while providing tax-paying citizens transparency and accountability in budget allocation.
Additionally, she said she will not be a sheriff who will not listen to what others have to say to her to make things better.
“In order to make any agency better or do anything better, you must surround yourself with people who are all working towards that one common goal. In this case, this common goal is to make the sheriff’s office better and to make Fulton County better as a whole,” she said.
Furthermore, Beasley passed on a message to the citizens of Fulton County.
“To the citizens of Fulton County, if what you see happening now that’s being displayed on television, if you like what you see, then I would say stay where you are. However, if you don’t like all these negative things that we have been seeing, then a change is needed, and I am that change,” she said.
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