Lexington County's top law enforcement officer is seeking another term.

On Sept. 10,  Sheriff Jay Koon held his 2024 campaign kickoff at The Grove in Gilbert, with guests including state Attorney General Alan Wilson, 11th Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard, state Sen. Ronnie Cromer and state Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey. Koon has been sheriff for the past nine years and was recent;y named Sheriff of the Year by the South Carolina Sheriffs' Association.

The event drew about 200 people and included a live band, dinner, a boiled peanut appetizer and free swag, such as branded koozies, cups, bumper stickers and T-shirts.

“It's just very humbling,” Koon told the Chronicle. “We've been doing this since 2015 and the community has really gotten behind us and just what we're doing is being seen and viewed and appreciated by everybody and to certainly have people like Rick Hubbard and Alan Wilson to be in our corner really … it's just very humbling and very neat because, like we all said, it doesn't always happen like that in all places.”

Koon was first elected sheriff in 2015, having previously served for 20 years with the Town of Lexington Police Department, holding positions such as detective, patrol sergeant, watch commander, special operations lieutenant and assistant chief. He is a graduate of both the FBI National Academy and the FBI National Executive Institute. 

While guests at, Hubbard and Wilson spoke on Koon’s behalf, with Wilson taking the opportunity to publicly endorse Koon.

“What we do in our office, we cannot do without law enforcement,” Hubbard said. “And all of you who are in law enforcement right now, all of you who've been in law enforcement. You've always had our complete admiration.”

The solicitor told guests that they have seen recently just how dangerous the job of law enforcement can be, referencing a Lexington County home invasion last week that left two people dead and an officer injured.

“Those of us who prosecute these cases are very aware of that, We take that to heart,” Hubbard said. “We admire you as well, and to have the law enforcement we have now, it doesn't just come on a whim, it takes leadership.”

When Wilson spoke, he touched how his position leads him to travel the state and the country, as he attends national and state conferences.

“I talk to people across this spectrum of every single demographic you can imagine,” Wilson said. “I talk to old people, I talk to young people, I talk to white people and Black people. I talk to people who are poor people who are rich, I talk to people, you know, from different faiths. I talk to people who are very conservative, I talk to people who are very liberal. But one thing that people seem to always agree on is that what is the number one function of government? We can disagree on a lot of things but what I hear from all walks of life is public safety. Protecting the public.”

“You will not find a better defender of our public safety than Jay Koon,” hee added.

Mayor Steve MacDougall of Lexington and Mayor Barry Walker of Irmo were both in attendance, as well.

MacDougall, who has been mayor for the entirety of Koon’s career as sheriff, touched on how Koon has made the department a better place.

“He's done a phenomenal job in a short period of time. He's turned that department around. They've done a phenomenal job just keeping us safe, keeping the community safe,” MacDougall said. “He's a hometown Lexington guy and has been here all his life, and it shows that he cares about this community. 

“So very proud of him. He's done a great job and I think he's just gonna continue making relationships,” the mayor added “The crowd that showed up tonight shows that he's got a lot of support. We need to give him that support so you can continue doing the job he's doing.”

Koon spoke to the crowd about his previous campaign, where he was met with the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest upon being re-elected, adding that the department got through those times with support, as the county’s backing of law enforcement has always been good.

“We're hiring lots of folks from all over the country. And I asked them, ‘Why do they come?’ Obviously to schools, recreation, but most of all, they know how our community supports law enforcement,” Koon said. “So on behalf of all the men and women in uniform across the county, thank you for that.”

When asked, Koon told the Chronicle that he hopes to get re-elected to continue the good work the department has done, emphasizing that there is still more work to do. Koon touched on how the department is coming out of a hiring crisis, with hiring having ticked up 48% in 2022, as departures from the department dropping by 52%.

“We're making headway,” the sheriff told the Chronicle. “I think everybody's feeling that across the country and I know that we're getting better every day and certainly excited about the future.”

Two retired law enforcement officers have announced plans to run against Koon in 2024 – Garry Rozier (a former state Highway Patrol instructor who held a June fundraising concert at Lexington’s Icehouse Amphitheater) and Billy Warren (a former Lexington sheriff’s deputy member of the state Highway Patrol who now owns 10 Zero Driving Academy).