Kevin McNatt enters Autauga County sheriff race, touts decades of law enforcement experience

Kevin McNatt entered the Autauga County sheriff race with a résumé built across county patrols, school safety work and federal corruption investigations, arguing that residents want a sheriff who is visible, accountable and ready to act.

McNatt said he wants more visible patrols, stronger communication with residents, closer cooperation with local public-safety partners and more community education and involvement. He also framed his bid around constitutional leadership, fiscal responsibility and transparency, putting public trust at the center of a race that will help shape how the sheriff’s office handles everyday calls and emergencies.

His law-enforcement career began in 2001 with the Autaugaville Police Department, where he served as the first full-time school resource officer at Autaugaville School. He later joined the Autauga County Sheriff’s Office and worked as a patrol deputy, narcotics sergeant, member of special operations and night-shift patrol lieutenant. McNatt also led the county’s Run, Hide, Fight active-shooter training effort for schools, churches, businesses and community groups, tying his campaign directly to school security and emergency preparedness.

McNatt later moved to the Alabama Department of Corrections’ Law Enforcement Services Division, where he investigated homicides, drug trafficking, serious assaults, fraud, public corruption and complex financial crimes. He was later promoted to senior agent, selected for a federal task force with the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI focused on public corruption and civil-rights investigations, and later served as statewide training coordinator and an adjunct instructor for three regional police academies.

His campaign website says he has lived in Autauga County since 2002, graduated from the APOST Law Enforcement Academy in Tuscaloosa in 2003 with the Award of Excellence and Top Gun Award, and personally paid for that training. It also says he is a husband, father and grandfather, a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, a member of the NRA and Gun Owners of America, and holds a federal firearms license. He is certified as a firearms instructor and range safety officer.

The race comes after a period of upheaval in county law enforcement. Sheriff Joe Sedinger died in December 2022 after 29 years of service, and Gov. Kay Ivey appointed Mark Harrell in January 2023 to fill the term. That transition came just days after the January 12, 2023 tornadoes, which killed multiple people in Autauga County and caused severe damage in the area.

Autauga County’s sheriff’s office is responsible for emergency response, civil process and court security, and county materials say deputies handle roughly 9,000 calls for service each year. The county had 58,805 residents in the 2020 Census, giving the office a broad public-safety mission across a relatively small but growing population.

McNatt is one of four Republicans listed on the official sample ballot for sheriff, alongside incumbent Mark B. Harrell, Nicholas Cognasi and Ty Thompson. The primary is set for May 19, 2026, with a runoff June 16, 2026, and the general election on November 3, 2026. Autauga County says it has more than 44,000 registered voters, putting the contest before a sizable electorate at a time when leadership, readiness and trust remain central to county policing.