FROM STAFF REPORTS

SHELBY COUNTY—Hoover Police Department Capt. Kip Cole announced his candidacy for Shelby County Sheriff Friday, Jan. 24.

Cole has been a Shelby County resident for more than 21 years and has served in law enforcement for more than 31 years.  His career began in 1982 as a patrol officer for the Tuscumbia Police Department and then with the Florence Police Departmen

t.  In 1986, he joined the Hoover Police Department and has served in many different roles. Cole was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Police in 2005. Cole served as commander of the field Operations Bureau from 2008-2010.

Cole is currently assigned to the Special Operations and Emergency Preparedness Bureau, which coordinates police operations for City sponsored special events such as the SEC Baseball Tournament and oversees departmental compliance with Federal regulations regarding issues of Homeland Security.

Cole is a founding member of the Hoover Police Department’s Special Response Team and now serves as the Special Response Team Commander. He is an FAA certified pilot and manages the Hoover-Jefferson County Air Support Unit.

Cole earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice from Faulkner University in Montgomery. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 232.

“The citizens of Shelby County expect and deserve to be safe in our great community,” said Cole.  “It is the responsibility of law enforcement, and it would be my duty as the sheriff, to ensure the best public safety practices are implemented to achieve this goal. I will be a hands-on sheriff that is tough on crime.”

For information on Cole’s campaign, visit Kipcoleforshelbycountysheriff.com, twitter @Kip4sheriff or via Facebook @ Kip Cole for Shelby County Sheriff