{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n- **Chief Deputy, Shelby County Sheriff's Office** (SCSO) \u2014 second-in-command of the largest sheriff's office in Tennessee, overseeing roughly 1,500 employees and 2,500\u20133,000 inmates. Appointed by Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr., on July 25, 2023. ([SCSO command staff bio](https://www.shelby-sheriff.org/jail-command-staff/staff+members/anthony-buckner), [campaign site](https://www.bucknerforsheriff.com/about))\n\n- Democratic candidate for **Shelby County Sheriff** in the May 5, 2026 primary. One of five Democrats in the primary (Buckner, Reginald Hubbard, Keisha Scott, Ricky Pollard, Michael Pope). The seat is open because Sheriff Floyd Bonner is term-limited. ([Fox 13 Memphis](https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/5-democrats-2-republicans-running-for-shelby-county-sheriff/article_e272725b-6bc3-4647-91f0-132007963462.html))\n- Leads the Democratic field in fundraising; Daily Memphian reports he is among the county primary candidates with six-figure cash-on-hand. ([Daily Memphian](https://dailymemphian.com/article/59686/shelby-county-primary-candidates-campaign-funds))\n- Campaign site: [bucknerforsheriff.com](https://www.bucknerforsheriff.com/). Slogans: \"Our City, Our County, Our Sheriff\" and \"Believe in Buckner.\"\n\nCommunity relationships, transparency, crime prevention, and jail management. At a March 17, 2026 Shelby County Democratic Party sheriff candidate forum, he said the sheriff's office \"has done a poor job communicating with the public\" and pointed to a recent hiring surge and expanded mentorship programs as evidence of his leadership. ([Yahoo News coverage of forum](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/shelby-county-sheriff-hopefuls-try-100522958.html))\n\n- *\"My run for Sheriff stems from a deep commitment to serving our community and ensuring public safety. I believe that with my over 20 years of experience and background in law enforcement, I can bring a fresh perspective and innovative solutions to our challenges.\"* ([campaign site](https://www.bucknerforsheriff.com))\n\n---\n\n*Compiled from publicly available web sources on 2026-04-18.*\n\n## Background and education\n- B.S. and M.S. in Criminal Justice, Bethel University.\n- Graduate of the **FBI National Academy**.\n- Adjunct Criminal Justice professor, Spartanburg Methodist College. ([SCSO bio](https://www.shelby-sheriff.org/jail-command-staff/staff+members/anthony-buckner), [campaign site](https://www.bucknerforsheriff.com/about))\n\n## Career\nBegan in law enforcement at age 15 as a Memphis Police Department Explorer; joined the SCSO Explorer program at 16; officially hired by SCSO in 2001. Approximately 25 years on the force. Prior assignments and ranks include: ([SCSO bio](https://www.shelby-sheriff.org/jail-command-staff/staff+members/anthony-buckner), [Fox 13 Memphis](https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/5-democrats-2-republicans-running-for-shelby-county-sheriff/article_e272725b-6bc3-4647-91f0-132007963462.html))\n\n- Fugitive Division; Patrol; Gang Unit; Narcotics; Crime Prevention\n- Patrol Sergeant; Criminal Courts Sergeant\n- Lieutenant, Internal Affairs\n- Captain, Public Information Office\n- Chief Inspector / Director of Training\n- Assistant Chief Deputy of Patrol and Patrol Support Services\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n- **2026** \u2014 [Sheriff (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=BUCKNER&id=103867&f=198127&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Shelby County official/candidate\n\n*Source: [Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest Search](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/search.htm). Scraped 2026-04-25.*\n\n## Family\n- Wife Chrystal; children Anderson and Zaria, plus \"bonus son\" Ayden. ([campaign site](https://www.bucknerforsheriff.com/about))\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"sheriff","county":"shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"tn","title":"Sheriff"},{"contest":"sheriff","county":"shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[{"county":"shelby","displayname":"Buckner, Anthony","documents":[{"datesubmitted":"04/28/26","documentid":"E1856114-0333-4BCF-8A77-07EA9AA91295","documentname":"Buckner, Anthony - CFD - Pre Primary 2026","documentnameid":["E1856114-0333-4BCF-8A77-07EA9AA91295","Buckner, Anthony - CFD - Pre Primary 2026"],"documenttype":"2026 CFD","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"04/15/26","documentid":"76EAE1DC-7125-47AF-9920-33598E4B9AE6","documentname":"Buckner, Anthony - CFD - Year End 2025 Amended ","documentnameid":["76EAE1DC-7125-47AF-9920-33598E4B9AE6","Buckner, Anthony - CFD - Year End 2025 Amended "],"documenttype":"2025 CFD","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"04/10/26","documentid":"E09EF96E-9394-4FAF-823D-EDBB43C242F8","documentname":"Buckner, Anthony - CFD - 1st Quarter 2026","documentnameid":["E09EF96E-9394-4FAF-823D-EDBB43C242F8","Buckner, Anthony - CFD - 1st Quarter 2026"],"documenttype":"2026 CFD","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"01/29/26","documentid":"E1DFB300-58BB-4D1A-9E2B-A5B39D2E5771","documentname":"Buckner, Anthony - CFD Year- End 2025 Amended","documentnameid":["E1DFB300-58BB-4D1A-9E2B-A5B39D2E5771","Buckner, Anthony - CFD Year- End 2025 Amended"],"documenttype":"2025 CFD","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"01/28/26","documentid":"362A4CFC-AF4F-465A-BB45-A13BDA5802BD","documentname":"Buckner, Anthony - CFD Year-End 2025","documentnameid":["362A4CFC-AF4F-465A-BB45-A13BDA5802BD","Buckner, Anthony - CFD Year-End 2025"],"documenttype":"2025 CFD","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/15/25","documentid":"22E6A460-30F1-49F5-B4B5-39DED3A239DE","documentname":"Buckner, Anthony - CFD - Mid-Year 2025 Disclosure","documentnameid":["22E6A460-30F1-49F5-B4B5-39DED3A239DE","Buckner, Anthony - CFD - Mid-Year 2025 Disclosure"],"documenttype":"CFD","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"04/14/25","documentid":"22D86C69-6AC2-4904-9603-205C42705344","documentname":"Buckner, Anthony - UPDATED Appointment of Treasurer 2026.pdf","documentnameid":["22D86C69-6AC2-4904-9603-205C42705344","Buckner, Anthony - UPDATED Appointment of Treasurer 2026.pdf"],"documenttype":"Appointment of Treasurer","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"02/03/25","documentid":"92582707-2632-4029-94B1-6B92EE20B1A5","documentname":"Buckner, Anthony - Appointment of Treasurer 2026.pdf","documentnameid":["92582707-2632-4029-94B1-6B92EE20B1A5","Buckner, Anthony - Appointment of Treasurer 2026.pdf"],"documenttype":"Appointment of Treasurer","electionname":null}],"filertype":"Candidate","officename":"Sheriff","source_customer_id":"EE6EBC62-7B7C-432F-869E-4DE111271E07","source_filer_id":"50B32002-B8F8-44B8-B87C-DF0315DD8977","source_system":"easyvote","state":"TN","status":"Active"}],"firstname":"Anthony","fullname":"Anthony J. 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