Montgomery County voters are set to choose a new sheriff on August 6, 2026, and one issue is already separating the contenders more than most: whether to bring back the county’s public booking log. At an April 28 Downtown Kiwanis Club forum, the three candidates laid out sharply different ideas about how the sheriff’s office should juggle transparency and personal privacy.
Republican Mike Oliver told the crowd he wants the booking log restored, calling it “public information” and an “informative tool” created by the sheriff’s office. The two independents, Dexter Mines and Johnny Ransdell, argued for tighter limits or a different system altogether. Mines warned that putting mugshots online can “do real harm” when charges are later dropped, while Ransdell floated a conviction-only log that would show photos only after a court conviction, as reported by NewsChannel 5.
The public booking site came down in March 2023, when outgoing Sheriff John Fuson pulled it from the web, a move that immediately sparked local controversy. Fuson said a family situation helped drive the decision. That choice, and the broader fight it kicked off over public shaming and due process, still shapes how many residents think about whether the county should again post arrest photos online, according to Clarksville Now.
Why candidates disagree
The divide follows a familiar script. Oliver frames the booking log as a basic transparency tool that keeps the public informed. Mines and Ransdell, however, focus on the long shadow a single mugshot can cast, especially when a case never results in a conviction…