Mike Bouchard Wins Oakland County Sheriff Race

Mike Bouchard (R) received about 54% of the votes to win re-election as Oakland County Sheriff. He defeated Democratic challenger Vincent Gregory, who brought in about 46% of the returns.

The result reflects the smallest margin of victory in any of Bouchard’s re-election campaigns — closer than the roughly 18% gap he held over Jane Felice Boudreau (D) in 2012. Never-the-less, Bouchard says the long standing support from Oakland County voters reflects resident’s non-partisan view of law enforcement.

“One of the best ways to get better police outcomes is very real-world, aggressive training.” — Mike Bouchard, Oakland County Sheriff

“We don’t run it as a partisan shop nor should we,” says Bouchard.  “I’m not even sure why the sheriff is partisan. I don’t think the sheriff or the prosecutor should be partisan positions. Just like judges, we’re in the criminal justice system.”

While the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department does not allow chokeholds like the one used on George Floyd, Bouchard says the national focus on law enforcement in recent months highlights the need for better police training. 

He says securing more funding will be one of his main goals over the next four years. “My priority is to try to get the emergency operations center, training center, and emergency dispatch and communications center co-located and built in this next term,” says Bouchard. “It’s really kind of long overdue.”

Bouchard, who was first elected to the job in 2000, says some law enforcement buildings in Oakland County are more than 50 years old. He says a new training facility would provide officers a better opportunity to hone their skills for use in the field.