A fifth candidate has thrown his hat into the ring to run for Fayette County Sheriff in 2008.

David Simmons, former deputy chief of the Detroit Police Department made his formal announcement Friday. He is the first announced candidate who has never once worked under Sheriff Randall Johnson.

Simmons is currently the President of David L. Simmons & Associates, a security consulting company. He ran for a seat on the county commission in 2004 but was defeated by incumbent Herb Frady by about 2,000 votes.

The other announced candidates so far:

Barry Babb, the assistant division director of the Field Operations Division of the sheriff’s department;

• Wayne Hannah, director of the traffic enforcement and training division of the sheriff’s department;

• Al Hogan, a former sheriff’s deputy under Johnson who now sells heavy equipment at a dealership in Lake City. He formerly served as a jailer, patrolman and later as a narcotics agent for the sheriff’s department; and

• Thomas Mindar, a specialist in the warrants division of the sheriff’s department.

Prior to moving to Fayette County in 1998, Simmons served as a deputy chief of police with the Detroit Police Department, serving as the chief of staff for the police chief. Simmons assisted the chief in managing the day-to-day operations of the 4,500-member department.

Upon retiring from the department in 1996, Simmons was appointed to the position of director of public safety for the city of Highland Park, Mich. Simmons has received awards for his service from the Detroit Field Office’s of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Secret Service.

"Randall has told several people that he's retiring and I think my qualifications would be a good fit for the county," Simmons said.

Simmons said he would use progressive law enforcement management strategies to administer the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and would ensure that the department is operated in a professional and cost effective manner.

Simmons has been married to his wife Patricia for 20 years, and together they have five adult children. Simmons attends New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville.

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