{"id":122329,"date":"2026-01-14T04:07:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T04:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/122329\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T04:07:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T04:07:07","slug":"dallas-county-sheriff-mike-granthum-announces-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/122329\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas County Sheriff Mike Granthum announces retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"

DALLAS COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA<\/a>) – After more than two decades in law enforcement and two terms as Dallas County\u2019s Sheriff, Mike Granthum has announced he will not seek re-election.<\/p>\n

Granthum made the decision public after months of reflection, saying it was shaped by a combination of health concerns, financial considerations, and a desire to leave the sheriff\u2019s office stronger than he found it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose not to run for re-election this time,\u201d Granthum said. \u201cI\u2019ve served for two years as sheriff, but I\u2019ve been with this office for about 25 years total. At some point, it\u2019s time to pass the torch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Health scare changed perspective<\/p>\n

One of the most significant factors behind Granthum\u2019s decision was a serious health scare late last year. He revealed he underwent open-heart surgery, an experience he says forced him to reevaluate his priorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you go through something like that, it kind of changes your path and your direction,\u201d Granthum said. \u201cThings that used to seem important aren\u2019t as important anymore. You start prioritizing family, friends, and your health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Granthum says his recovery has gone well and that he plans to complete the remainder of his term if his health continues to progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not cutting my term short,\u201d he said. \u201cThe people elected me for four years, and I plan to serve that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Financial considerations also played a role<\/p>\n

In addition to health, Granthum pointed to financial realities tied to the state retirement system. He explained that his retirement benefits currently exceed his salary as sheriff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis past term, I actually started losing money by coming to work every day because my retirement would\u2019ve been more,\u201d Granthum said. \u201cBut I felt like I owed it to the people because they trusted me and elected me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Granthum said he originally planned to serve just one term but ran again out of a sense of responsibility to the voters of Dallas County.<\/p>\n

Leaving the office better than he found it<\/p>\n

Reflecting on his time as sheriff, Granthum says his main goal was to leave the department in better condition than when he took office.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always taught that when you borrow something, you leave it better than you got it,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was my main goal, and I think we\u2019ve done that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among his proudest accomplishments, Granthum points to rebuilding trust between law enforcement and the community \u2014 something he says was especially important when he took office.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy biggest accomplishment is bringing trust back to the sheriff\u2019s office,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Granthum also highlighted community policing efforts, partnerships with local schools, and a youth apprenticeship program that allows high school and college students to experience law enforcement firsthand.<\/p>\n

Last year, Dallas County recorded just one murder outside of city limits \u2014 a statistic Granthum says reflects strong cooperation between deputies and the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never solved a case without the help of the community,\u201d he said. \u201cThat trust is what makes everything work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead<\/p>\n

Although he will not run again, Granthum says he is not disappearing from public life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just taking a break for a minute,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are some other things I may look into down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that he is committed to helping ensure a smooth transition for the next sheriff and is willing to offer guidance if needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want the next sheriff to do better things than I\u2019ve done,\u201d Granthum said. \u201cThat\u2019s the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the next election cycle begins, Granthum urged voters to carefully consider who they choose to lead the department.<\/p>\n

\u201cElect somebody who\u2019s going to work for the people, not somebody who just wants a title,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd give the next sheriff a fair chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Primary elections are scheduled for May 19, with runoffs on June 16 and the general election on November 3. The newly elected sheriff will take office in January 2027.<\/p>\n

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Copyright 2026 WSFA. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DALLAS COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) – After more than two decades in law enforcement and two terms as Dallas…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":122330,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[53174,102,581,16981,104,103,9877,9875,9874,9876],"class_list":["post-122329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-12-news","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-county","tag-dallas-county-sheriff","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-montgomery","tag-wfsa","tag-wsfa","tag-wsfa-12-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122329\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}