Washington County sheriff announces bid for seventh term

FAYETTEVILLE -- The Washington County sheriff said he intends to run for a seventh two-year term.

Tim Helder, 56, is a Democrat from West Fork who has been sheriff since January 2005. He said he announced four months before filing begins to head off rumors of his retirement. The sheriff oversees more than half the county's 570 employees and spends about one-third of its budget.

Tim Helder

Washington County Sheriff

Democrat (Incumbent)

Age: 56

Residency: West Fork, 40+ years

Family: Wife, Holly; three children and three grandchildren

Employment: Washington County Sheriff

Education: West Fork High School; attended University of Arkansas

Political Experience: Sheriff since January 2005; West Fork school board, 1993-2008

Source: Staff report

Helder said Tuesday he hopes to continue addressing jail overcrowding, an issue that has come to the fore as Arkansas' number of inmates soared in recent years. He said the problem reaches into the Washington County Detention Center, raising tensions and costs.

Helder is part of the General Assembly's Legislative Criminal Justice Oversight Task Force, one of two groups created this year to find ways to deal with prison and jail overcrowding through mental health, drug treatment and job training reforms.

Helder's a member of Judicial Equality for Mental Illness, a Northwest Arkansas group working to change the state's system of treating the mentally ill. He's also a board member of the Arkansas Sheriffs' Association, one of many groups that successfully pushed this year for an increase in the state's reimbursement to county jails for holding state inmates.

"It won't be enough, but it's more, and that's kind of the mindset we've got," Helder said. "There's a lot to be done."

A study in the late 2000s found a majority of Washington County detainees were diagnosed with depression or other mental illness, Helder said. Last year he expanded the jail's on-site medical care through a Tennessee-based company called Southern Health Partners, bringing more staff and mental health services for detainees.

"The reason I'm guardedly optimistic about serving on this task force is that I think problems like mental health are finally, really being discussed and addressed openly," Helder said, referring to the legislative group. He added other initiatives, such as re-entry and work training programs to break the cycle of incarceration, are also key to lowering the number of people jailed. "It's refreshing" that all are on the table, Helder said.

Helder began his law enforcement career at the Sheriff's Office in 1979, and spent 21 years at the Fayetteville Police Department before returning to the Sheriff's Office in 2003. He is paid an annual salary of about $97,000.

He's the board chairman for Washington Regional Medical Center and board member for the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, which includes agencies in five states.

Helder said he wants to expand leadership training to all his employees, add educational incentives for deputies and keep technology up to date if he wins another term.

Quorum Court members Tom Lundstrum, a Republican from Elm Springs, and Ann Harbison, a Democrat from West Fork, said they valued Helder's work and perspective.

"I think he's done an excellent job, and he's addressing the issues," Harbison said. "I think people listen to him, because I think he has a better understanding than most people."

The preferential primary is set for March 1 and the general election is Nov. 8, 2016.

NW News on 07/08/2015

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