Atlanta’s Department of Corrections’ Chief Patrick Labat announced Friday he is running for Fulton County Sheriff, a spokesperson with his campaign confirmed.
The announcement comes as the city is assessing the best way to repurpose the Atlanta City Detention Center, which holds an average of 70 detainees per night. The jail had long been used to house Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees and Fulton County Jail inmates.
If he wins, Labat would replace Sheriff Ted Jackson, who has held the office since 2009. Voting for the seat will take place May 19, 2020. Jackson announced his reelection campaign last month.
Labat is the only person to have filed his intent to run for sheriff, Fulton County spokeswoman April Majors said in an email. Qualifying for the race has not started, but dates on those are expected next month.
Labat worked in public safety for 30 years, serving the past decade as chief of the city’s jail and municipal operations. His current job includes managing the city jail, the Grady Hospital Detention Center and Atlanta Municipal Court Detention. In all, he oversees 225 employees; 155 of them are correctional officers.
Last week, the Atlanta native was honored with Detention Administrator of the Year by the Georgia Jail Association – his second time receiving the honor in five years.
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“I am excited about the opportunity to move the department forward and embrace new ways of approaching law enforcement,” Labat said in a statement. “My team and I have shared many successes and accomplished a great deal for the City of Atlanta. I look forward to bringing a renewed energy and those same innovative ideas to Fulton County to help improve the quality of life for all its citizens.”
Labat’s bid comes as Fulton County officials have complained of overcrowding at the county jail, with some inmates being forced to sleep in boats – “a thick plastic frame with a mattress that is placed on the floor.”
The jail, located on Rice Street, is designed to hold 2,591 inmates, but housed more than 2,700 last week. The county already has an agreement with Gwinnett County to accept some inmates, but more help is needed, Fulton officials say.
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