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Meet Charmaine McGuffey, Hamilton County Sheriff incumbent

woman in sheriff's uniform smiles at camera
Angie Lipscomb
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Provided
Charmaine McGuffey

Charmaine McGuffey is the current Democratic sheriff of Hamilton County. Her opponent, Jim Neil, is the former Democratic sheriff of Hamilton County who is now running for the office as a Republican. The two have a complicated history, which you can read about here and here.

LISTEN: Cincinnati Edition's interviews with Charmaine McGuffey and Jim Neil

Charmaine McGuffey says she's just getting started in the Sheriff's Office.

She was sworn in as Hamilton County's Sheriff in 2021, and says she's finally got the department in the shape she wants it, with more improvements to come.

McGuffey first joined the office in 1983 as a jail service deputy, and rose through the ranks to become the first woman on the command staff. That's an important distinction for her.

"I changed the staff of 10 or 12 white men who sat at this command table for centuries," she chuckles. "Decades if we just want to look back at our lifetime. It was white men in uniform only." 

Today, after her first term, she says the command staff and the entire department look a lot different.

"We now have Black women. We have white women. We have men. We have men of color. We have Republicans, we have Democrats," she says. "I've changed the diversity of this command staff and I gotta tell you — it changed the conversation."

McGuffey says she wanted the office to be a model for Ohio and for the country; she says they're well on their way.

"The public is looking to us to show up and help solve problems, help solve issues," she says. "When we show up now, we bring an array of people."

That demonstrates how law enforcement has changed, and at the same time, stayed the same.

McGuffey says nationwide, it's been difficult to hire new people in law enforcement. She says her office has bucked the trend because of the leadership.

"I brought in a new staffing model. And that staffing model was very specific about the way that we would hire new people in, who we would hire in human resources, a manager — a true manager. But also the ways that we would incentivize these people, and the ways that we would encourage these officers to build a career with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department."

McGuffey says she also wants the department to use more statistics and more information. So she started a data task force.

"We need to have data from the courts, from probation and parole, from the prosecutor's office, from the public defenders, so that we can start a predictive model about how to prevent crime, and also how to intercede before they begin to struggle to the point where they want to grab a gun."

But that's not the only task force in the sheriff's office. There's one for addressing domestic violence, one for gun violence, juvenile crime, and for immigration.

"I find it a very useful tool in solving these community issues that we all need to work on," she says. "The biggest thing is to create outcomes that are successful and that's what I'm doing."

McGuffey says one of her successes is making physical repairs at the jail. She says it was in bad shape when she took office, but now has a lot of upgrades.

"New elevators, new doors to the cells that actually lock. We put screens in the windows. We fixed the windows," she says. "We basically have put $20 million into this jail so we don't have to build a new one that would cost a billion dollars."

Jail space is important. McGuffey knows who she wants behind bars. She says her immigration task force has been working with local police departments.

"Our goal in that is to apprehend these criminals, shut down the organized crime that they represent, and hold these individuals in jail who are coming into this country illegally and presenting a terroristic threat."

McGuffey says in addition to having federal agencies on the immigration task force, she's started a community affairs division for outreach helping groups, including immigrants.

"If you're not committing a crime and you're in this country illegally, you won't come to my attention. I'm the Sheriff of Hamilton County. The way that you come to my attention in this county is you cross the criminal justice system. And then you become arrested and incarcerated."

McGuffey says the department is running as a well-oiled machine since she took office. She says it's also transparent.

"It's easy to say words like 'recruiting.' It's easy to say words like 'training.' But you have to have an actual plan that the public can understand, and that you are able to articulate to the public. And that's exactly what I've done."

She says she's been able to work to improve the sheriff's office, and been able to work with the community.

"I'm going to reassure the people of Hamilton County: It doesn't matter what side of the aisle you're on, what color you are. It doesn't matter," she says. "What matters is the fact that I'm your sheriff and I'm going to make sure you are treated equally and fairly within the justice system. I'm going to make sure that our justice system works for you."

McGuffey says she delivered on her campaign promises and wants to keep building on her gains.

Bill Rinehart started his radio career as a disc jockey in 1990. In 1994, he made the jump into journalism and has been reporting and delivering news on the radio ever since.