MACON, Ga. — A new candidate is throwing his hat in the ring for Macon-Bibb County Sheriff.
Christopher Paul has over 20 years of experience and says he's inspired to be more than a patrol officer.
He began his career with the Macon Police Department in 1999. Then, he joined the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office when the county and the city consolidated in 2014.
Paul says he wants to improve Macon-Bibb through a youth commission that would get children involved in their communities.
“The first thing we got to do, we know a lot of crime that is happening here in Macon-Bibb County is with our youth,” Paul said. “One of the things that we're going to create is a youth commission.”
The idea behind the commission is that it gets kids – who know and see the issues up close – at the table and get their perspectives on how to address them.
“We want to get our young kids involved, having them not being a part of the problem but coming up with solutions to some of the issues that they are dealing with, so that we can make our community safer and better,” Paul said.
Paul also says he has a detailed plan to combat crime and homicides in Macon-Bibb.
He says as sheriff, he would be open and honest and address issues in the community.
Paul is hoping to unseat incumbent Sheriff David Davis. Davis has been at the helm of the Bibb County Sheriff's Office since November 2012. He first joined the sheriff's office in 1979.
The primary is set for May. Then, the general election is scheduled for November.
It is unclear whether or not Paul is running as a Democrat or Republican.