NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After more than 35 years with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Daron Hall is preparing to step down, reflecting on a career that has made him Nashville's longest-serving sheriff.
Hall, 62, will leave office Oct. 19 after serving 24 years as sheriff. He described his final days with the department as a mix of emotions, comparing the experience to a funeral and a college graduation.
"There's a sense of grief for me, and it's all I've ever done," Hall told NewsChannel 5's Aaron Cantrell.
Hall's career with the sheriff's office began when he was just 16 years old, working as an intern at the jail. What started as an early interest in understanding why people commit crimes eventually became a decades-long career focused on criminal justice reform, rehabilitation and second chances.
"You want people to think you're doing good things and helping people and believing in second chances," Hall said. "It's who I am. I've always believed that's who we are."
Throughout his time in office, Hall has advocated for addressing the underlying causes of criminal behavior, including addiction, poverty and mental illness.
He has been particularly outspoken about the challenges of treating people with mental health conditions inside correctional facilities.
"Jails are a ridiculous place to deal with mental health," Hall said. "We're the only modern country that does it that way." As he prepares to leave office, Sheriff Hall pointed to several accomplishments, including securing funding for the sheriff's office's southeast campus to address jail overcrowding.
He also successfully challenged the state of Tennessee in court over the prolonged detention of state inmates in local jails, worked to increase the salary for the Davidson County sheriff position and helped close a loophole in the public safety pension system.
Hall said those efforts were important to ensuring the department's next leader would be positioned for success.
"The real reason that I felt like I would run one more term was to try to secure funding, which is hard to do," Hall explained. After more than three decades in law enforcement, Hall is preparing for a new career in the private sector.
He isn't ready to reveal where he'll be working but described the opportunity as a chance to step away from the around-the-clock responsibilities of running the sheriff's office.
"What is rare to me is it's not 24 hours a day, it's not 1,200 people I have to oversee," Hall said. "I don't have to get out of bed at 2 a.m. I don't have to worry about the crisis I've experienced."
Hall's final day with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office is scheduled for Oct. 19. The Metro Council is expected to appoint an interim sheriff next month, with the position appearing on the ballot next year.
Hall said he has been speaking with council members and hopes someone already serving within the department will be selected to lead it through the transition.
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