It’s going to take everyone working together to eradicate the violence from our community.

“We’re losing our youth to gun violence at a rapid pace. Youth of all ages have murdered people throughout our community, and it’s increasing at an extremely alarming rate, not only here but across the nation. We had two or three murders last year; this year it’s up to eight in total – city and county.

“We’re working to help reprogram the minds of our youth to understand that every time you kill someone, you’re killing off a whole generation. You’re also not putting any value on your own life or anyone else’s life. These kids need to understand that every time they kill someone, they possibly just killed the next mayor, sheriff, governor or even the next president.

“We’ve embraced community policing as a part of that reprogramming. I pick a school once a week and walk the school. We attend community events for youth – everywhere there’s a youth function, you’ll see me or one of my deputies. The kids call me ‘Uncle Travis’ now. I give them my cell number and they use it. Their concerns are my concerns.

“Recently a young lady [age 17] who was pregnant was killed in a drive-by shooting. Within minutes information started pouring in to my cell phone, and less than 10 hours later we had all four of the perpetrators in jail. The people in our community have taken a stand with law enforcement; they’re breaking the code of silence.

“Faith-based organizations are stepping up and going into rough areas and praying over the grounds. There’s a major push going on to get gangs to lay down their guns and give families the control over their neighborhoods.

“I personally engage with gang leaders and the people are, too. It’s a multidisciplinary team approach. We’re using what I call the ‘three C’s’: consideration, communication, and collaboration. Law enforcement didn’t start this violence – no officer has shot anyone in this community – and it’s not going to end with us. It’s going to take everybody to eradicate this problem from our community. I’m of the ‘it takes a village’ approach, and it’s yielding very positive results.”

The journey to becoming sheriff is something I’m proud of.

“When I ran for sheriff in 2015, the community was extremely divided. The racial makeup of Adams County is almost evenly divided between black and white. But as I went door to door, people started to see my vision; they started to buy in. For me and the people who voted for me, it was never about race or color. The community showed by their vote that it was about doing the right thing, even if it wasn’t the popular thing to do. It took the entire community’s support through a grassroots effort to get me elected.

“When I put my name on that ballot I’d never run for anything in my life, never spoken in public. I’m a Navy veteran, was a mortgage loan officer and a K-9 officer in narcotics. It was me against an incumbent and another guy who had 30 years of experience. I had no major backers and virtually no funding. It was truly a modern-day David vs. Goliath story.

“Some people tried to scare me away. They took my political signs across the river to Louisiana and sent me videos of my signs being used for target practice – shooting at my face – or being burned. But we pushed forward.

“The community of Adams County bought into my vision wholeheartedly, and for that I am extremely grateful. We overcame the odds. Ninety-five percent of the people here are good people who want change. We’re not going to let the 5 percent win.”

Whether you’re the janitor or the president, everyone deserves to be treated equally.

“If there’s one thing I’d like people to know about us [Adams County Sheriff’s Office], it’s that we have compassion in our hearts for the community we serve. We are not what they’re seeing all over the country. There’s a war going on between law enforcement and their communities, but we are not at war with the people of Adams County. We will always put them first while serving them. Our goal is to show the rest of the nation how well a community can thrive when law enforcement, the schools and citizens work together.

“I wish people understood the weight that rests on law enforcement’s shoulders. We’re almost like street pastors: People are looking to us for the answers to everything. A lot of people have problems, and for many, we’re the solution. I don’t take that lightly. When they bring those issues to us, we’re going to act on it.

“We’re always going to be transparent. People deserve to know what’s going on. Politics shouldn’t have a place in law enforcement. Whether you’re the janitor or the president, everyone deserves to be treated equally. You have a lot of outside influences trying to get you to go this way or that way, but I will not be bought or compromised. That’s what I want every citizen of Adams County to know.”

-Sheriff Travis Patten, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi