TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - There's a new Sheriff in town come January and he's hoping to find solutions to the county's crime rate.
Leon County elected Walt McNeil as the new Sheriff, beating out current Sheriff Mike Wood along with Tommy Mills and Charles Strickland.
McNeil ended up earning 47% percent of the vote.
McNeil said that he's not necessarily cracking down on crime but rather finding the historic problems that lead to it and solving them.
"I've been able to see the issues of criminal justice from a number of perspectives, so it gives me a unique perspective on how the sheriff's office should function and what the goal of driving crime is and how we can accomplish those goals," said McNeil.
McNeil worked for years as a Tallahassee police officer. He then served as the chief of Tallahassee Police Department for ten years.
He's also been secretary of Florida's Department of Corrections and Chief of the Quincy police.
McNeil will meet with Sheriff Wood soon to go over ways to transition.
He said he'll also figure out how to utilize the office's new body cameras.
McNeil said he'll take some time off around Thanksgiving, but for the most part, he'll be in full-out planning mode. He officially starts on January 3rd.
