{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"James Lee Berrong","chatgptsummary":"James Lee Berrong's thirty-seven-year tenure as Blount County Sheriff demonstrates organizational leadership of patrol, investigations, and jail operations, alongside budget oversight and coordination with state agencies. He holds a documented law-enforcement background and knowledge of Tennessee criminal law. His record includes two deputy fatalities and an ongoing internal investigation into employee misconduct. Bio does not indicate prior experience in developing county operating budgets or managing constitutional search-and-seizure litigation.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJames Lee Berrong is the incumbent Blount County Sheriff, appointed to the post in 1989 and re-elected every term since 1990 [1][2]. He won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary against challenger Jerry D. Burns; no Democrat or independent qualified, so the primary winner will be elected to office in the August 6, 2026 general election [2].\n\n## Career\nBerrong was raised in Blount County [2]. Under his leadership, the Blount County Sheriff's Office established one of the state's first school resource officer programs in 1996, now placing an SRO in every school in the county, and launched a POST-certified deputy training academy in 2007 that has since graduated 31 classes [2]. He describes leading the office's Drug Task Force through a shift from methamphetamine labs in the early-to-mid 2000s to today's fentanyl crisis [2]. In August 2024, the Tennessee Sheriffs' Association named Berrong its Tennessee Sheriff of the Year [3].\n\n## Office history\nBerrong has held the office of Blount County Sheriff continuously since his 1989 appointment, through every subsequent election [1][2].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nBerrong's tenure has included line-of-duty losses: Deputy Greg McCowan was shot and killed during a traffic stop in February 2024, with a second deputy wounded in the same incident, and Deputy Justin Mowery died in an on-duty vehicle crash in December 2025 [1]. In June 2026, Berrong announced that a Sheriff's Office employee had been placed on unpaid administrative leave following multiple allegations of misconduct; after consulting Blount County District Attorney General Ryan Desmond, the office opened an internal investigation, and Desmond asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to separately review the matter for potential criminal violations. The employee's name and the nature of the allegations were not made public [4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [James Lee Berrong, Blount County Sheriff \u2014 About](https://jamesberrong.com/about/), campaign site\n[2] [Hats in the Ring: Sheriff](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thedailytimes.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/4b/74b84810-4ff5-4f37-8a83-5c64b3011208/69e2e767d7eeb.pdf.pdf), The Daily Times (candidate questionnaire)\n[3] [Blount County sheriff earns top spot in the state amid taxing year](https://www.wvlt.tv/2024/08/02/blount-county-sheriff-earns-top-spot-state-amid-taxing-year/), WVLT\n[4] [Internal investigation opened after Blount County Sheriff's Office employee placed on administrative leave](https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/06/03/internal-investigation-opened-after-blount-county-sheriffs-office-employee-placed-administrative-leave/), WVLT","firstname":"James","lastname":"Berrong","middlename":"Lee","suffix":null,"token":"bMRsixJv8B"},"token":"james_lee_berrong"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"sheriff","o.office":null,"office":"sheriff","officedescription":"The sheriff is the county's chief law-enforcement officer. The office operates the county jail, provides court security, serves civil process and executes warrants, and provides patrol and investigation \u2014 a large operational command with a substantial budget.","officequalities":"- Organizational leadership of a sheriff's office spanning patrol, investigations, court services, and the county jail.\n- Oversight of the county jail, including intake, inmate health, and release procedures.\n- Working knowledge of Tennessee criminal law, court process, and constitutional search-and-seizure standards.\n- Ability to develop and oversee the office's operating budget with public accountability.\n- Coordination with municipal police departments and neighboring-county and state agencies.\n- A documented law-enforcement or public-safety background.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"Sheriff","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-02","title":"Blount County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.blounttn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/30077/August-6-2026-Sample-Ballot-PDF"},"title":"Sheriff"}