John Samaniego
Republican · AL · Shelby County Sheriff
Sheriff since 2015 and a former chief deputy, he holds a law degree from Birmingham School of Law and graduated from the FBI National Academy. His priorities include hiring more deputies and fighting scams aimed at older residents.
Where John Samaniego stands, based on their records
Supports
Public Safety and Crime Control (1 record), Gun Control (1 record)
Track record
Track record — Public Safety and Crime Control
Public Safety and Crime Control · 1 support
Asked the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office to do an outside investigation after inmate Gavin Breazeale died in the Shelby County Jail.
October 15, 2021Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: trussvilletribune.com
Track record — Gun Control
Gun Control · 1 support
Spoke against a bill to let adults carry concealed guns without a permit, at a state firearms-law commission hearing. He said permits let sheriffs screen out people with serious mental illness.
November 30, 2017Supports Gun Control
Source: alreporter.com
Track record — General
General · 15 records
Endorsed former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell for attorney general in the 2026 Republican primary.
March 25, 2026
Source: yellowhammernews.com
Was one of 20 Alabama sheriffs who endorsed Wes Allen for lieutenant governor in the 2026 Republican primary.
January 29, 2026
Source: alreporter.com
Announced that the Shelby County Jail scored 100% on its yearly National Institute for Jail Operations audit. The jail kept the group's top accreditation for a ninth straight year.
October 7, 2025
Source: trussvilletribune.com
Joined a law enforcement coalition that endorsed Attorney General Steve Marshall in the 2026 Republican race for U.S. Senate.
July 29, 2025
Source: yellowhammernews.com
Endorsed Justice Sarah Stewart for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in 2024, calling her a tough-on-crime judge.
February 13, 2024
Source: alreporter.com
Was named Alabama's 2024 Sheriff of the Year by the Alabama Sheriffs Association, in a vote of the state's 67 sheriffs.
January 25, 2024
Source: wvtm13.com
Promoted Clay Hammac, the former head of the county drug task force, to chief deputy of the sheriff's office.
January 9, 2023
Source: wvtm13.com
Was one of the sheriffs who endorsed Governor Kay Ivey for reelection in the 2022 Republican primary.
May 11, 2022
Source: alreporter.com
Appeared in a TV ad endorsing Katie Britt for U.S. Senate in the 2022 Republican race. In the ad he praised her stance on violent crime and border security.
March 17, 2022
Source: yellowhammernews.com
Endorsed Russell Bedsole, a longtime sheriff's office employee, in the 2020 special election for Alabama House District 49.
June 29, 2020
Source: yellowhammernews.com
Was appointed by U.S. Attorney General William Barr to the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice, a national panel on policing and crime.
January 22, 2020
Source: justice.gov
Endorsed Jeff Sessions in the 2020 Republican race for U.S. Senate, citing his record as a prosecutor.
January 22, 2020
Source: alreporter.com
Received the 2019 Crime Stopper of the Year award from Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama, which covers eight counties around Birmingham.
December 20, 2019
Source: yellowhammernews.com
Served as a commissioner on the Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission from 1997 to 2007. That state board sets training rules for police officers.
May 26, 2018
Source: birminghamwatch.org
Served as president of the Alabama Chapter of the FBI National Academy from 2005 to 2007. He also served a term as state president of the Alabama Fraternal Order of Police.
May 26, 2018
Source: birminghamwatch.org
Past race John Samaniego ran in:
- Shelby County Sheriff · November 3, 2026 · Shelby County, Alabama · incumbent