Alfred Dean King, a Democratic candidate for Leflore County sheriff, knows how to make an entrance.
Before speaking to the Greenwood Voters League Wednesday night, he got the crowd into the mood by playing a snippet of the disco tune “Ain’t Nobody Stoppin’ Us Now.”
“Some people are asking questions. ‘Why is he running? Who does he think he is?’ Alfred King is a man who believes if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything,” King told the small crowd, which included his opponent in the Aug. 2 Democratic primary, Demetrice Bedell.
The winner will take on incumbent Ricky Banks, an independent, in the Nov. 8 general election. King ran for sheriff in 1999, losing to Banks.
King, 56, said he relates to all people, which is a requirement for sheriff.
“It’s not the color of your skin, your sexual preference, your religion or your political beliefs. He sees you as just you,” King said, again speaking in the third person.
A Leflore County native and U.S. Marine veteran, King said he wants to be a “drum major for all the citizens of Leflore County.”
“Change has got to come. My friends, the time is now for Leflore County,” he said.
King said he began his career in law enforcement in 1976 as a deputy under the late Sheriff Rufus Freeman. At the department, King said, he was taken under the wing of Leflore County Deputy Charlie Cooley, the department’s first black deputy.
Cooley, who died in 2003, was widely respected and had the ability to get cooperation from all segments of society, he said.
From deputy, King advanced to deputy assistant jailer. He said he later worked closely with then-District Attorney Joyce Chiles. Later, he founded the King Detective & Security Agency.
“I’m always watching and looking,” King said.
He has also been on the wrong side of the law.
King pleaded guilty in 1993 to one federal charge that he misappropriated funds less than $100 while employed with the U.S. Postal Service. He originally faced a four-count indictment. In return for the guilty plea, the charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor. He received a penalty of $550 in fines and fees, three years probation and 100 hours of community service.
In 1999, the Leflore County Democratic Executive Committee reviewed whether King was eligible to run for sheriff because of the charge and a tax lien against him but ultimately took no action.
King said in 1999 that the charge resulted from misappropriation of funds by a subordinate when he worked at the Robinsonville post office.
King said, as sheriff, he would try to address the problem of young people using illegal drugs. “I want to make a difference in their lives,” he said.
King said he would work with Greenwood Police Chief Henry Purnell in ridding communities of street corner drug dealers.
Questioned by current Leflore County Deputy Coy Lee Keys about his experience in drug enforcement, King responded he had never worked narcotics as a deputy. He said he would stress more on-the-job training for deputies and adopting tougher physical fitness standards for the department.
“I’m going to make some people mad. I’m going to knock on some doors that have never been knocked on before,” he said.
Next week, the Greenwood Voters League will host Bedell, who bills himself as chief of police of the Greenwood School District.
• Contact Bob Darden at bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
