Mack named Alabama Sheriff’s Association Sheriff of the Year

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 ORANGE BEACH, Alabama — Baldwin County Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack has been named 2021 Sheriff of the Year by the Alabama Sheriff’s Association.

“It was a total surprise and I am extremely honored,” Mack said.

Mack was presented the award during the Association’s 2021 Summer Education & Technology Conference Monday at Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach.

“As I said when I accepted the award, it may be my name on the award, but it is reflective of the entire Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department,” Mack said. “I would not have received this award if it were not for all the good people in our Sheriff’s Department and I am truly honored.”

The award is voted on by the sheriffs of Alabama in the Sheriff’s Association and is presented annually at the summer conference, which began Sunday and continued through Thursday in Orange Beach.

“So far it’s been a good conference,” Mack said on Tuesday. “We were not able to hold the conference last year because of COVID, and it’s been good to have all of our folks back together.”

Mack said there were a total of about 350 attending the conference representing the state’s 67 sheriff’s departments, with 55 of the state’s sheriffs represented.

Born in Escambia County, Mack is a lifelong resident of Baldwin County after moving with his family before his first birthday. He is a graduate of Robertsdale High School.

He attended Faulkner State Community College (now Coastal Alabama Community College), graduating with an associate degree in criminal justice.

While at Faulkner he was a Student Government Association representative. He then attended and graduated from Troy University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He later returned to Troy and earned a master’s degree in human resource management. 

Mack went to work with the Alabama Department of Forensic Science in 1985 as a medical examiner field agent.  He later worked as a forensic investigator and was promoted to chief forensic investigator of the Mobile Laboratory. He holds a Crime Scene Analyst certification by the International Association for Identification. 

Mack was hired by the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office in 1989 as a criminal investigator and was tasked with crime scene responsibilities. In 1995 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant over the criminal investigation division. In 2004 he was promoted to the rank of captain and designated the chief investigator of the Criminal Investigation Division.

He has served on many task forces to include the U.S. Customs Blue Lighting Task Force, a U.S. Marshall special deputy, Baldwin County Major Crimes Task Force, Child Abuse Task Force and as a consultant with many other law enforcement agencies.

Mack ran for Sheriff of Baldwin County in 2006 and was re-elected in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

He is the past president of the Alabama Sheriff's Association. Mack is on the National Sheriff's Association Board of Directors, Training Committee and the Immigration and Border Security Committee.

He is a graduate of the National Sheriff's Institute, Federal Bureau of Investigation Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar, Southeastern Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar and the Alabama Law Institute for Sheriff's.

Among his other awards and accomplishments Mack is the past president of the Robertsdale Rotary Club, past chairman of the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, past board member of the Baldwin County Economic Alliance, past lay leader of the Robertsdale Methodist Church, and past board member of the Boy Scouts of America.

He has been awarded the Paul Harris Award by Rotary International, the Service Above Self, and Rotarian of the year award. In 2006 he was chosen as the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year and was presented with the Chamber’s first ever Good Government Award in 2020.

He and his wife Sherri own and operate Mack Funeral Home in Robertsdale, which was founded by his father Huey A. Mack Sr. They have two grown sons, Jarrod and James.