KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forté fought off a challenge from former Sheriff Mike Sharp in Tuesday’s primary, winning his first full term in the role.
Forté, who was appointed sheriff in 2018 after Sharp’s resignation, won the Democratic primary with 81% of the vote. Former Sheriff Mike Sharp received 19% of the vote.
Forté had to make his case for a full term as sheriff after Sharp entered in the race in April. Sharp said that some people, including county legislators, had encouraged him to challenge Forté.
In his campaign, Forté trumpeted himself as a much-needed “change agent” for the sheriff’s office following Sharp’s departure. He highlighted the promotion of the first female captain in the agency’s history and said some of his attempts to bring change — including the suspension of five supervisors — earned him critics within the department.
“I’m bringing credibility to the sheriff’s office,” Forté told 41 Action News in an interview last week.
In his new term, Forté will be largely responsible for the building of a new jail. He told 41 Action News the current facility is “in need of replacement, without a doubt.”
Forté was appointed sheriff in May 2018 and won an election to fill the remaining two years of the term later that year. He is the first Black sheriff in Jackson County.
He previously served six years as the Kansas City, Missouri, police chief before he retired in May 2017. He was credited with working to build relationships in the community and making himself visible at crime scenes and on social media.
Early in his term as police chief, the city reported significant decreases in the homicide rate, but by the time he resigned in 2017, Kansas City was on its way to reaching a near-record number of homicides.
Forté will not face a Republican challenger in the fall. His four-year term begins in January.
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