Title: Jackson County Sheriff · Republican In this role since: December 2022 (elected 2022 over Democrat Rick Buchanan, 51.9% to 48.1%; previously Macon County Sheriff’s Office from 1998, Highlands PD, a police-liaison contract in Iraq in 2006, and Sylva PD until 2019) Current term ends: December 2030 (re-elected) Next voter decision: none until 2030: won the March 3, 2026 Republican primary over Brandon Elders with over 72%; no Democrat filed (Smoky Mountain News · Ballotpedia)
Surveillance record
Farmer’s office took a 5-year, $55,000+ Flock contract for 4 cameras in 2024; one month of the county’s own records (June 30 to July 30, 2026) shows 1,190,043 vehicle reads, 563 searches, 4,652 hot-list hits, data shared with 280 in-state agencies, and 17 of 82 employees with access. At the August 4, 2026 work session he called the system a “force multiplier” with zero documented misuse; commissioners raised concerns; no vote was taken (Jackson County · Sylva Herald · Smoky Mountain News).
His office’s public policy manual contains four documents and no plate-reader policy, which state law requires in writing; the one technology policy it does publish is an unedited Colorado template referring to “the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office” (Jackson County).
ICE
Honors detainers case by case: “When we arrest somebody and we have charges on them, we’ll send that information up to see if ICE wants to detain them for any reason” (Sylva Herald, date unconfirmed). No 287(g) agreement (ICE list, Aug 21, 2026).
The question for him
Where is the written ALPR policy G.S. 20-183.31 requires, and where is the annual audit? “Zero documented misuse” means nothing if nothing is documented (What the Law Lets the County Do).
Region: Jackson County · Last updated: Aug 22, 2026