CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. — Voters in Charleston County have elected Kristin Graziano as the new Charleston County Sheriff. Graziano, 52, who will replace longtime Sheriff Al Cannon, 74, and become the first female elected to a county sheriff's position in the state of South Carolina.
The final vote tally is 111,200 (51.61%) for Graziano (D) and 104,107 (48.32%) for Cannon (R).
Graziano has over 30 years in law enforcement, most recently as a deputy with the Charleston County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) under Cannon for the past 18 years. During her tenure, she served as a member and trainer for the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team -- the only woman nationwide out of 640 tactical officers qualified to serve as a trainer -- and designed and implemented a uniform response code for active shooter scenarios for Charleston County schools that was later used as a model for the rest of the state. She is a 2015 recipient of the Medal of Valor from the SC Sheriff's Association and a 2011 Presidents Award from the SC Law Enforcement Officers Association.
Graziano has also worked creating a port safety threat analysis for Charleston as part of the Sea-Hawk Anti-Terrorism Task Force, and worked to increase morale and reduce overtime for CCSO deputies.
In February 2020, when Cannon heard Graziano was considering running against him, he placed her on indefinite leave.
Cannon has been the sheriff since 1988 and oversees the largest sheriff's department in the state with a staff of over 900 people and a budget of over $64 million.
