The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
My name is Arthur R. Akins and I am running as a Democrat for Somerset County Sheriff.
I was born and raised in Somerville, where I still reside with my wife, Melissa, and our three sons. After 26 years of service, I recently retired from the Bridgewater Police Department as a Sergeant.
I am the best choice for sheriff because of my law-enforcement experience, my Master’s Degree in Leadership and Public Administration and my service as a United States Marine.
While in the department, I served a two-year assignment as a Bridgewater-Raritan High School Resource Officer. Because of my accurate assessment of information, I was able to immediately deter a situation from escalating to a Columbine-like catastrophe. For this, I received the Dwayne Reeves School Resource Officer of the Year Award. My passion for school safety is something I will address on a county level. I am the chairperson of the Crisis Response Committee for the Somerset County Democratic Black Caucus and recently received the Black Caucus’ Humanitarian Award. The National Coalition of Latino Officers and many local democrats have endorsed me.
My mission is to acquaint the public with programs, within the county, that will best serve them. My goal is to institute a county gun turn-in program to protect the public and aid in school safety. As a transparent community leader, I will bridge the gap between the various law enforcement agencies and the sheriff’s office.
