Tommy Thomas is the former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Harris County, Texas Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas; as of the 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston, ...

Biography

Thomas was sworn in as the 27th sheriff of Harris County on June 28, 1995, after the resignation of Johnny Klevenhagen. He was elected to his 3rd four-year term in November 2004. Sheriff Thomas started his public service career as a member of the United States Army. After being honorably discharged in 1968, he joined the Harris County Sheriff's Office. By 1982, he was promoted to the rank of major. In 1988, he was promoted to chief deputy under a Democratic sheriff Johnny Klevenhagen, where he remained until his appointment as sheriff. He was the first sheriff in modern history to hold every rank within the department, including detective. His term ended in January 2009 when Adrian Garcia (D-Houston) was sworn in as the 28th Harris County Sheriff.

Career

Controversy erupted in January 2008, when the sheriff's office announced that all e-mails would be deleted automatically after 14 days. Texas state law requires record retention for two to five years. Following media investigation of the department's e-mails
Houston Ministers Against Crime
said Sheriff Tommy Thomas should step down after a cartoon about the

Rev. Al Sharpton Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, talk show host and politician. Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic ...

and the

Rev. Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. senator ...

was found in his e-mails. The group said they are worried about the mindset of Harris County leaders after learning Thomas sent that e-mail and finding out about racist e-mails sent by

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

Chuck Rosenthal. On February 15, 2008, a lawsuit was filed calling for the removal from office of Thomas, as well as

Chuck Rosenthal, who resigned almost immediately. The sheriff's office is under investigation for the surveillance of two brothers who successfully sued Harris County for civil rights violations. In the 2008 general election, Thomas was defeated by Houston City Councilman

Adrian Garcia Adrian Garcia (born December 26, 1960) is an American politician and the current County Commissioner foPrecinct 2in Harris County, Texas. Garcia spent 23 years with the Houston Police Department, before becoming a city councilman. Garcia served ...

, a Democrat.

References

Texas sheriffs Living people People from Harris County, Texas Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-law-bio-stub