Lexington, SC (WLTX) - Lexington County officially has a new sheriff and his name is Jay Koon.
Koon won the special election Tuesday for the positions, which was expected, since he faced no ballot opposition after winning last month's Republican primary.
"I am a firm believer that success is when preparation and opportunity come together and this was just a case of it," said Lexington Sheriff Elect Jay Koon.
Koon is no stranger to the county, spending the past two decades with the Lexington Town Police Department.
"Some people will say there is a great cloud over the agency and we will have to dispel that and bring honesty and integrity back to the office."
With police involved shootings and transparency becoming a growing concern... he supports the push for body cameras.
His only concern is how they will be paid for.
"We only get one chance to get it right. I think we have to build and convey that and build that relationship and body cameras will help as a tool when we investigate cases that we have seen with a couple of current events lately. They used those tools to get it right. We are going to see if we can handle those things right and get the right reaction. "
Koon says his mission is bringing things back to the basics and that starts with being very involved in the community.
"Our citizens and tax payers are our customers, it won't be much different than what you have seen with Sheriff McCarty, getting back to the basics, serving our citizens, we got to streamline some programs and make sure our citizens are taken care of. "
Koon will be sworn in this Friday at the old Lexington County Courthouse at 3 p.m.
