The current Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch was successful in his primary bid Tuesday night in a hotly contested race against challenger Jim Hammock.
Couch won his primary bid with over 73% of the vote.
Couch ran against Republican Jim Hammock. With this victory, Couch will now go on to run against Lula Democrat Jerry Ramos in the November general election.
Couch, who has worked in law enforcement in Hall County since 1981 including a stint with the Gainesville Police Department, has touted improvements the sheriff's office has seen since his election 12 years ago.
"We had an antiquated records management system that could not be built out any longer, so we've got a new records management system. We have a new jail management system. Now we have an intelligence unit and a crime analysis system that is cutting-edge," Couch said. "Now we have online crime reporting, another option for citizens to call in and report crimes."
Couch said as Hall County's population continues to grow, now over 200,000 people according to the 2020 U.S. Census, maintaining staffing at the sheriff's office will continue to be a priority moving forward.
