JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (KCTV) – With incumbent Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden losing his re-election bid in the August primary, voters decided on a new sheriff Tuesday.

Democratic candidate Byron Roberson won the race, securing 50.6 percent of the vote among Johnson County voters.

According to unofficial results, Roberson received 161,035 votes compared to Republican candidate Doug Bedford, who received 157,335 votes.

Robertson was the Democratic candidate. Roberson is the chief of the Prairie Village Police Department, but has been a police officer for 30 years. He says he has the experience to be in charge and make tough decisions.

He is also a veteran of the Navy, having served for eight years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Jackson State University and a master’s degree from the University of Central Missouri. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, in the Department of Criminal Justice.

Roberson says one of his top priorities if elected sheriff is improving communication between law enforcement agencies. He wants interagency collaboration to address mental health, crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques.

READ ALSO: A pair of Johnson County Sheriff candidates point to differences in the race

Doug Bedford was the Republican candidate who defeated Hayden in April. Bedford is a former Navy SEAL and a former Johnson County Undersheriff. He grew up in De Soto, Kansas, and his first job was with the Sheriff’s Office. He enlisted in the Navy two years later, but returned to DeSoto and the office.

Bedford, during the campaign, said the Sheriff’s Office needed to return to its original principles of leadership and fiscal responsibility. He believes it is important to empower people and respect the voices of employees in the department.

He believes in building relationships and trust with other law enforcement agencies and developing a drug task force with other agencies to reduce drug trafficking along the I-35 corridor.

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