County

Sheriff, Kenton County

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: The sheriff is the county's chief law enforcement officer; the sheriff's office also collects property taxes and serves court papers.

Candidates Compare by issue

Larry Shelton

Republican

Attorney; retired Kenton County Police captain

The gist

Supports deputies assisting other police agencies on calls
Proposes a real-time crime center for Kenton County
Supports moving toward a full-service sheriff's office model

More about Larry

View sources (2)

Supports deputies assisting other police agencies on calls
Larry Shelton: 2026 candidate profile
News coverage · LINK nky · linknky.com
“I can’t answer that question because they should be assisting the other law enforcement agencies.”
Proposes a real-time crime center for Kenton County
Larry Shelton: 2026 candidate profile
News coverage · LINK nky · linknky.com
“He also advocated for the establishment of a real-time crime center”
Supports moving toward a full-service sheriff's office model
Larry Shelton defeats Jude Hehman in Kenton County Sheriff GOP primary
News coverage · LINK nky · May 19, 2026 · linknky.com
“I would like to see the sheriff’s department evolve,”
Larry Shelton: 2026 candidate profile
News coverage · LINK nky · linknky.com
“Shelton pointed to full-service law enforcement agencies like the Boone County Sheriff’s Office as a model for what he’d like Kenton County to become.”

Robert "Tom" Collins

Democratic

Retired police chief · Morning View

The gist

Proposes a civil disturbance team for large crowds and events
Proposes a missing persons team in the sheriff's office
Supports expanding the office's assistance to other agencies
Opposes political appointments based on friendship over fitness

More about Robert

View sources (2)

Proposes a civil disturbance team for large crowds and events
Tom Collins: 2026 candidate profile
News coverage · LINK nky · linknky.com
“Collins advocated establishing a civil disturbance team to provide training and guidance for handling crowded events that could get out of hand.”
Proposes a missing persons team in the sheriff's office
Tom Collins: 2026 candidate profile
News coverage · LINK nky · linknky.com
“He also advocated for the establishment of a missing persons team.”
Supports expanding the office's assistance to other agencies
Larry Shelton defeats Jude Hehman in Kenton County Sheriff GOP primary
News coverage · LINK nky · May 19, 2026 · linknky.com
“there’s a lot of programs and a lot of things that they could be doing and should be doing as assistance to other agencies”
Opposes political appointments based on friendship over fitness
Tom Collins: 2026 candidate profile
News coverage · LINK nky · linknky.com
“I was inspired to run by many citizens who reached out to me after witnessing political appointments based on friendship, rather than fitness for office”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 2 issues covered in this race.