Former Duncanville Police Chief Brown, Sworn In As Interim Dallas County Sheriff
DALLAS— If you were wondering where the new Interim Dallas County Sheriff rang in the new year? Guess no longer. Chief Marian Brown began her 2018 being sworn in to her new post at the Frank Crowley Courts Building.
Brown, 52, has worn a number of hats since her time as the Assistant Police Chief in Duncanville. Now she can add this historic appointment to her dossier. Brown is Dallas County’s first black female sheriff.
She hopes to make the position permanent come the midterm election in November of this year. But first, Brown must face Dallas County Precinct 4 Constable Roy Williams in the March Democratic primary election.
“Marian was appointed to the rank of Assistant Chief of Police in 2007, and grew into her new role very quickly,” said Duncanville Police Chief Robert Brown of his time working with her. “She served in that capacity until her retirement in 2014. [Brown] was a loyal and dedicated employee, and served the citizens of Duncanville with the utmost proud.”
She was chosen when former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez recently stepped down in order to campaign for governor of Texas.
A democrat, Brown was already the third in command while working under Valdez. She has been with the Sheriff’s Department for three years handling criminal investigations, warrants and traffic divisions.
She brings 30 years of law enforcement with her overall, 25 of those years spent in various levels of police leadership.
“From the sergeant on the street; to the lieutenant over the watch; the community relations officer at the crime watch meeting; to the investigations commander on the crime scene, to the assistant chief preparing the annual budget,” she wrote in her message on the Dallas County web site.
Brown Endorsed By Valdez, County Colleagues
County Commissioner John Wiley Price, who swore the new interim Sheriff in Sunday night said it was a unanimous vote for the Dallas native to be chosen for the position.
“She was the only choice,” he said a day after the Dallas County Commissioners chose her at a December County Commissioner Court meeting.
For Brown’s part, she said she was humbled by the appointment. At Sunday night’s swearing in she seemed satisfied and determined to begin her new position. One aspect in particular is the continued improvement of Dallas County Jails.
Dallas County Jail is the seventh largest jail in the country. The average daily total number of inmates is more than 6,300 and exceeds 100,000 people per year.
Since 2007, Valdez had made the improvement of medical, mental health, sanitation, and environmental health top priorities. In 2012, the oversight of a federal court was ended, citing these advances.
Shortly, after this time Brown joined the county-wide law enforcement agency.
“She is immensely qualified on paper and operationally,” Commissioner Price said of the interim appointment.
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department employs 2,400 civilians and sworn peace officers. And boasts an annual operating budget of $65 billion per year.
