Anthony Buckner will be the next Shelby County sheriff, beating Republican Brad Less in what was essentially a landslide victory.
Buckner has spent the last three years as the second-in-command at the Shelby County Sheriff's Office and has spent more than 25 years with the office.
Buckner, a 25-year veteran of the sheriff's office, has a master's degree in criminal justice from Bethel University. In a Q&A ahead of the primary, he said he plans to bring a transparent, community-driven approach to policing and a data-driven approach to solving the county's increasingly problematic jail.
He also said he planned to continue working with the Memphis Safe Task Force, saying collaborating with federal agencies "allows us to share intelligence, maximize
resources, and focus on individuals who pose the greatest risk to public safety."
Buckner was, however, noncommittal during that Q&A about continuing SCSO's partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement through the 287(g) program. Outgoing Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr. said he signed onto the program in November 2025, saying it was a jail approach which would allow ICE to demand the sheriff's office hold people with unprotected status for an extra 48 hours.
Buckner did not say whether the program would continue, only saying he would reassess it constantly.
"The 287(g) program operates within the jail setting, and any decision regarding its use should be guided by that reality, along with legal requirements, community impact, and operational effectiveness," Buckner said in the Q&A. "As sheriff, I will continually evaluate the program to ensure it aligns with our mission and serves the best interests of Shelby County."
Why Buckner ran for sheriff
Buckner’s decision to run came from a conversation he had with his daughter, a college student at Middle Tennessee State University, during which she said she wanted to move away from Memphis because she did not feel safe. He went on to speak with other people, including his wife, who said much of the same.
His wife, a small business owner, also said she was struggling to retain talent as a byproduct of high crime. At the time of those conversations, around 2023, Memphis was experiencing a record-high surge in crime.
“They were leaving Memphis, not because they didn’t love the city, but because of the crime rate at the time. They didn’t want to start their families here… If we don’t have a community where residents feel safe, where young people want to return, then how does our city thrive?” Buckner said during a July interview with The Commercial Appeal.
Memphis' constantly-high crime rate led to President Donald Trump establishing the Memphis Safe Task Force, bringing more federal agents into the city and making thousands of arrests. However, Buckner said local law enforcement has been vital in crime-fighting efforts.
“Local law enforcement, in my opinion, have the blueprint for reducing crime,” Buckner said. “…I think what we saw, and what we continue to see with the task force, is the blueprint or the strategies that our communities were already employing, but we have added hundreds of officers to the plan and to the strategies. I think what we really understand and what we really witness is when we are adequately staffed with law enforcement officers in our community, then we can reduce crime and we can sustain that reduction of crime.”
Buckner is becoming sheriff at a time when the office has 100 vacancies it needs to fill. Some of those vacancies are for street deputies, but many are within the jail — another issue Buckner will have to tackle with a new Shelby County mayor and slate of commissioners entering office.
To tackle the vacancies, Buckner said he had already adjusted the physical fitness requirements for jail deputies, saying they needed to run short distances quickly as opposed to the mile and a half requirement the office previously had. Looking ahead to the election, however, he said he would work closely with the new mayoral administration to cut down on delays in the hiring process and bring more social workers into the jail.
But hiring for the jail will only fix a portion of the problem. Buckner has, for years, called for a new jail. The process has stalled over the years, but Buckner said he plans to pitch a phased development similar to that of the Franklin County, Ohio jail he went on.
“When we talk about building a new jail in our community, we always tap the $1 billion price tag,” he said. “And I think, obviously, it makes our [Shelby County] commissioners cringe. It makes taxpayers cringe because we’re all trying to figure out where we’re gonna find a billion dollars.”
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Anthony Buckner wins Shelby County Sheriff's race, beats Brad Less
