Jacquelyn Harrison Barrett (born November 4, 1950) served three terms as sheriff of

Fulton County, Georgia Fulton County is located in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,066,710, making it the state's most-populous county and its only one with over one million inhabi ...

, making her the first African-American woman to ever receive the title in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. After a "

reverse discrimination Reverse discrimination is a term for discrimination against members of a dominant or majority group, in favor of members of a minority or historically disadvantaged group. Groups may be defined in terms of ethnicity, gender identity, nationality, ...

" lawsuit was filed against her by 18 deputy sheriffs, Barrett was suspended from office by Governor Sonny Perdue in 2004. She did not run for a fourth term.

Early life and education

Jacquelyn H. Barrett was born November 4, 1950 in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, to parents Cornelius Harrison and Ocie Perry Harrison. In 1972, Barrett graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

, with a concentration in

criminology Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and so ...

. In 1973, Barrett received her master's degree in Criminology from

Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark Atlanta is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States. Founde ...

Early career

Before being elected sheriff of Fulton County, Barrett served a 10-year tenure as a

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

specialist for the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. She helped to develop programs that would be used to train

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

s, and was eventually promoted to create these programs for the

Chief of Police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

and sheriff. She then served two years as

chief administrative officer A chief administrative officer (CAO) is a top-tier executive who supervises the daily operations of an organization and is ultimately responsible for its performance. Government and non-profit A CAO is responsible for administrative management of ...

for the Fulton County Sheriff's Office, and became the director of the Fulton County Public Safety Training Center in 1987.

Career as Sheriff

In 1992, Barrett defeated both her Democratic Primary Election opponent Robert McMichaels, and her General Election opponent Morris Chappell (republican). As sheriff, Barrett managed the largest sheriff's department in Georgia, opened the South Fulton Precinct, recruited seventy-five volunteers to support various charitable organizations, and provided safety training to senior citizens. During the Summer Olympics in Atlanta Barrett served as Sheriff and provided police support for the games. In 2000, Barrett attended the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

, where she was interviewed by

Lou Waters Lou Waters (born July 7, 1938) was one of the original anchors of CNN, an American cable news channel when it first aired in the summer of 1980. He remained one of the network's primary anchors until September 2001, adding to a journalism career sp ...

for

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. She served on the Georgia Congressional Delegation and voiced her support for

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...

. Barrett completed a second term as Sheriff, and continued to work through a third until she was suspended from office by Governor Sonny Perdue in August 2004. Barrett's final term as Fulton County's Sheriff ended on December 31, 2004. Fulton County Courthouse Renovation 1995

Fulton County Courthouse Renovation 1995

Controversy

In 2000, Barrett was called to court for several claims of racial discrimination brought forward by eighteen Fulton County Sheriff's Department employees. Of those eighteen claims, fourteen were found legitimate. Several of these officers were provided compensation for damages to their careers, and some were provided with forced promotions. The remaining four were not found to be discriminated against. In 2006, a civil action suit was filed by an inmate alleging insufficient living conditions within the Fulton County Jail against Barrett and Fulton County. The Plaintiff stated to the court that he was not provided a properly ventilated cell, and that the food provided did not align with his prescribed diet. The court denied Barrett's request for summary judgement. Additionally, the Plaintiff's claim for prospective relief, and the Plaintiff's punitive-damages claims against Fulton County, and the Plaintiff's official-capacity claims against all former, current, or future sheriff of Fulton County were all denied. In March 2004, rapper T.I. produced a music video inside of the Fulton County Jail while serving time. The music video was unauthorized by Sheriff Barrett, and the employees who allegedly allowed a small camera crew inside of the jail were terminated.

Life after law enforcement

In 2008, Barrett began teaching

as an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

at the

University of West Georgia The University of West Georgia is a public university in Carrollton, Georgia. The university offers a satellite campus in Newnan, Georgia, select classes at its Douglasville Center, and off-campus Museum Studies classes at the Atlanta History Ce ...

and

Spelman College Spelman College is a private, historically black, women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. It is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman re ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. In 2012, it was reported that she also taught at the Fulton Leadership Academy, and focused on

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

programs for young boys. In March 2021, she received a Legacy Award from the Fulton County Sheriff's Office for her lifetime of contributions.

Personal life

Jacquelyn H. Barrett became Jackie Barrett-Washington when she married Gene Washington. She has two children, Kimberly and Alan, and five grandchildren. Barrett has always been involved in the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

faith, and has worked for and attended Cascade United Methodist Church.

Citations

Works Cited

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