Candidate: Scott Edwards

Scott was born in Albany, Georgia, and moved to Jackson County in 1977. He attended Jackson County public schools and graduated from Grand Ridge School in 1987. In 1988, he began dispatching for both the Sneads and Marianna Police Departments. It was during this time he discovered exactly what he wanted to do for the rest of his life- serve and protect others. He attended the Chipola Law Enforcement Academy and upon graduation, he began his law enforcement career as a sworn police officer for the Sneads Police Department. In December of 1989, he accepted a position as a deputy sheriff with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.​

In 1994, Scott married Chereé Rabion. They are blessed with two children, Lane and Ashlyn, and two beautiful grandchildren. Law enforcement is a major part of Scott’s family in every possible way. His wife has dedicated nearly her entire law enforcement career to helping children in the Special Victims Unit, and his daughter-in-law is a police officer with the Lynn Haven Police Department. It’s clear that the Edwards family takes this profession very seriously and Scott is very proud of his family's commitment to serve.​

During his tenure at the Sheriff's Office, Scott has diligently served in nearly every position. He began in the Uniformed Patrol Division answering routine calls for service and emergency response for several years. He was then transferred to serve as a bailiff where he learned the ins-and-outs of the court system, all while gaining a better understanding of the court process in both criminal and civil matters. Scott was then promoted to investigator with the Drug Task Force where he served for five years. During his time in the narcotics unit, Scott initiated and investigated hundreds of narcotics cases. He was then laterally transferred to the Criminal Investigations Division where he investigated crimes against persons and property including homicides, sexual assaults, burglaries, thefts, frauds, and a myriad of other types of cases.​

In 2006, Scott accepted a job with the State Attorney’s Office as an investigator where he briefly served, but then decided to return back to the faster pace of law enforcement in the Criminal Investigations Division at JCSO. 

In 2011, Scott was promoted to patrol captain, where he was instrumental in obtaining grants for tasers and body cameras for deputies as a means to ensure integrity and accountability. In 2015, he was transferred to supervise both the Criminal Investigations Division and the Drug Task Force. Under his command, there was a 100% clearance rate for homicides with each one being secured by arrest and conviction for the persons responsible. During his tenure, Scott oversaw numerous search warrants executed with large amounts of drugs, weapons, and money seized. In addition, the Drug Task Force saw its most active years under Scott’s command seizing nearly $100,000 in assets through federal forfeitures.

Scott’s current position as administration captain has been crucial in preparing him for the role of sheriff. In his current role, it is Scott’s responsibility to assist the sheriff with the daily operations of the Sheriff's Office while also overseeing the Administrative and Communications Divisions.

As part of the Command Staff, Scott has been an integral part of the budgeting process for over five years. He has in-depth knowledge of the entire process and having supervisory experience in each division gives him the knowledge of what is important and necessary for each division to operate safely, efficiently, and effectively as both an independent division and as part of the Sheriff's Office as a whole.​

During his time in Law Enforcement, Scott has helped obtain numerous grants and over $400,000 in federal funding for the state-of-the-art computer reporting system, which replaced the previous antiquated system that was utilized past its prime due to lack of funding. He personally advocated for this new system to better serve the citizens of Jackson County and its visitors. This system is beneficial to every citizen and first responding agency in the county as it encompasses EMS, Fire/Rescue, the county jail, and all the volunteer firefighters in the county. In addition, smaller agencies like Graceville PD and Cottondale PD are joining the system to gain access to information sharing. Scott also made sure that this new system included a citizen portal to promote community safety, allowing citizens to request house checks, report certain misdemeanor crimes, and view public service messages.​

One of Scott’s most recent accomplishments is acting as project manager over the renovations of the new Sheriff's Office building. He worked tirelessly, pouring his heart into the project, spending countless hours at the new facility in hopes of making it a safe and secure place to work and visit.​

30 continuous years in law enforcement, eight of which have been in a supervisory position, has provided Scott with an array of experience. All of this experience - from starting as a rookie deputy sheriff, to investigating homicides, to leading divisions - has provided Scott with invaluable experience that no other candidate can provide.