It is with great pleasure that Ashley Henson announces his candidacy to run for Sheriff of Paulding County.  On Monday, March 4, 2024, surrounded by his family, Ashley completed the required paperwork and officially qualified as a Republican candidate for the Office of Sheriff.  Ashley is fully committed to making Paulding County a safe place to live, work, and play.  His nearly 22-year career at the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office has led him to this moment.  Ashley will increase transparency, create more community engagement, and work with state, local, and federal partners to arrest and incarcerate criminals.  Ashley is committed to propelling the Sheriff’s Office forward by implementing technological crime-fighting tools and equipping Paulding Deputies with innovative equipment and vehicles to help ensure our citizens' safety.  Lastly, he is committed to providing opportunities for the employees at the Sheriff’s Office to be able to utilize and implement the most current trends in law enforcement thus enabling the Deputies and all staff to be updated and prepared to support this community and its residents.

Education and Career

Ashley Henson is a lifelong resident of Paulding County.  He graduated from East Paulding High School with honors in 1996.  He later graduated from the University of West Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Criminology in December 2000.  In December 2002, he graduated from the University of West Georgia with a Master of Arts in Sociology with an emphasis on Criminology.  While finishing his Master's Degree, he began his career with the Paulding County Sheriff's Office in September 2002 under Sheriff Bruce Harris.  Ashley’s formal education was purposeful and has prepared him to lead the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.  

Paulding County Service

Ashley began his career with the Paulding County Sheriff's Office as a Jailer in the Paulding County Jail.  After a brief time in the Jail, he attended the Georgia Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T.) Basic Mandate Training and transferred to the Uniform Patrol Division, where he worked as a Deputy answering calls for service.  Gaining experience in law enforcement, Ashley transferred to the K-9 Division, where he worked under Gary Gulledge's direction, handling a dual-purpose law enforcement K-9.  During Ashley’s time working in the K-9 Division with K-9 Grep, the team was responsible for locating hundreds of pounds of drugs and apprehending numerous criminals.  Ashley worked in the K-9 Division for approximately eight years.

In January 2012, Ashley was promoted to Corporal and tasked by Sheriff Gulledge as the full-time Public Information Officer for the Paulding County Sheriff's Office.  Ashley is responsible for being the point of contact between Sheriff Gulledge, the Sheriff's Office, and the community, both in the media and the public. Ashley is active in the community and serves on numerous boards and organizations in Paulding County.  He also maintains the Sheriff's Office's Social Media pages, and the agency website, and is the Neighborhood Watch Coordinator.  Additionally, Ashley is responsible for the creation of the uniform policy as well as the commendation and awards policy at the Sheriff’s Office.     

In March 2012, Ashley joined the SWAT Team, where he was assigned to the sniper element.  He then became the sniper team leader, where he oversaw and directed sniper operations for the SWAT Team.  In November 2022, he completed his final class and achieved the coveted P.O.S.T. SWAT Officer Certification.  Ashley completed over 500 hours of training for this certification. At the time of completion, he was only one of ten people to have ever achieved this certification in the State of Georgia.  Ashley was also the driving force behind the acquisition of grants through the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA). These grants allowed the Sheriff's Office to obtain a Lenco Bearcat G3 armored vehicle for the SWAT Team in March 2022.  Ashley retired from the SWAT Team in March of 2023 with 11 years of service.     Among his most notable achievements is his recent graduation from the esteemed Leadership Georgia program for 2023.  This is one of the premier statewide leadership programs in the United States.  Leadership Georgia prepares strong and effective leaders for the future development of the State of Georgia.  Furthermore, Ashley is a 2014 graduate of the Paulding Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Paulding Class # 24.  He is also involved in numerous local organizations and boards.  

Local Boards/Organizations

• Leadership Georgia 23 Graduate (2023)
• Leadership Paulding Class # 24 Graduate (2014)
• CareLink of Northwest Georgia Advisory Board Member
• Paulding County School District Superintendent's Advisory Board Member
• United Way of Paulding County Board Member (Chairman 2022-2023)
• Wellstar Paulding Hospital Regional Board Member
• Paulding Public Safety Appreciation, Inc. Agency Advisory Board Member
• Jess Rousey Honoring Heroes Foundation, Inc. Board Member
• University of West Georgia Criminology MA Advisory Committee 2023
• Paulding Public Information Officer Collaborative Co-Creator
• Alcohol/Drug Awareness Program Host – Paulding County School District
• Paulding Board of Commissioners Employee of the Month Committee
• Paulding Comprehensive Transportation Plan Stakeholder Member 2012, 2022
• Paulding County High School Principal Selection Committee (Dec. 2023) Training

Ashley has received over 5,600 hours of Georgia P.O.S.T. certified training in his career.  In addition to the training/certifications listed below, Ashley works hand in hand with all the government entities in Paulding County to spread awareness about the Sheriff's Office and law enforcement operations.  He also teaches active shooter training to civilian groups in Paulding County as well as the Paulding County Sheriff's Office Citizen's Handgun Safety Class. 

Certifications 

• P.O.S.T. Level IV/Master Instructor
• P.O.S.T.  Level III/Senior Instructor
• P.O.S.T. General Instructor
• P.O.S.T. Use of Force Instructor
• P.O.S.T. Driver Training Instructor
• P.O.S.T. Precision Immobilization Technique (P.I.T.) Instructor
• P.O.S.T. Defensive Tactics Instructor
• P.O.S.T. Firearms Instructor
• P.O.S.T. Shotgun Instructor
• P.O.S.T. SWAT Officer Certification
• C.R.A.S.E. Active Shooter Training Instructor
• A.L.I.C.E. Active Shooter Training Instructor
• P.O.S.T. Senior Deputy Certification
• P.O.S.T. Management Certification
• P.O.S.T. Supervisory Certification
• P.O.S.T. Advanced Certification
• P.O.S.T. Intermediate Certification
• P.O.S.T. Field Training Officer (FTO) Certification
• P.O.S.T. RADAR / LIDAR Certification
• P.O.S.T. Crisis Intervention Team Training (C.I.T)
• P.O.S.T. Basic Peace Officer Certification
• P.O.S.T. Jailer Certification

Personal

Ashley is married to his college sweetheart, Jodie (Graham), and they have two teenage boys who attend high school within the Paulding County School District.  They reside just outside the City of Dallas on the family farm and are members of the Dallas First United Methodist Church.  Their children are 9th-generation Paulding County residents, one of the many reasons the Hensons are invested in the betterment of our county.  Jodie is employed as an elementary school administrator with the Paulding County School District.  When their children were younger, Ashley was a community coach for their boys' sports.  Ashley is also a perpetual member of Dallas Lodge # 182 F&AM.  Ashley enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, working on the farm, and watching high school sporting events in Paulding County.  They are avid skiers/snowboarders and enjoy time in the mountains of the western United States.  

If you would like more information about Ashley, please follow him on social media or visit his website at www.AshleyHensonForSheriff.com.