He said the Hempstead County Detention Center is more than 30 years old and “we spent a lot of money in plumbing repairs in that building last year. He listed failing HVAC units and a walk‑in freezer that had to be replaced as examples of mounting repairs that make replacement or major renovation unavoidable in the next few years.
Crane recounted a conversation he had with an Arkansas sheriff at a conference who said he had run unopposed in elections for the past 13 years, but in the year he asked the county to help finance a new jail, “that’s when you’re going to get an opponent.”
Crane also described how a lack of mental‑health facilities and enough beds to respond to the state’s needs has shifted burdens onto patrol deputies and detention staff. He said many people who need treatment “can’t afford the insurance, they can’t afford the medicine they need, and it is literally cheaper for them to buy drugs right off the street and self-medicate,” and that deputies sometimes must call multiple officers and use less‑lethal options to subdue someone in crisis. He explained that once those people arrive at the county jail, staff have limited options, “we have one padded cell,” and detainees may be placed in a restraint vest, what he called a Turtle suit, while they await placement in a mental‑health facility that may be hours away.
On the ground in Hempstead County, those pressures show up in everyday operations. Crane said the sheriff’s office tries to keep two deputies on each shift to patrol the county, with two courthouse bailiffs who help with civil process when they can, and he noted civil process serving subpoenas and summonses, is a heavy, time‑consuming duty the office would like more staff to perform. He also pointed to the human cost of law enforcement, saying detention officers work 12‑hour shifts for modest pay while managing increasingly complex and sometimes dangerous cases.
Crane traced his own path into law enforcement from volunteer service to election to the office of county sheriff. Born and raised here (he has been a volunteer fireman for more than 20 years), he began as a reserve deputy in Hempstead County and later took a full‑time post after leaving a higher‑paying job as a cryogenic technician at AMKO Service, because “I wanted to serve the community.”
He listed his promotions and assignments: “In 2009 I was promoted to Corporal,” “In 2012, promoted to CID,” where he worked felony cases, and “in 2023 I was promoted to captain.” He said he attended leadership and management courses at the Criminal Justice Institute and the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Management program to prepare for budgeting, minimizing legal risk and taking on the responsibilities of running a county agency.
Crane launched his campaign in 2025 and was elected this past March to replace Singleton. Crane told the Lions he will be sworn in at midnight on December 31, 2026, and the new administration will begin work January 1, 2027. He praised Singleton’s community work and mentorship, calling him “one of the finest men I’ve ever worked with,” and he credited Singleton with sending him to conferences and training that helped prepare him for the top job.
During the Lions’ question and answer session, Crane answered members’ concerns directly. He confirmed several upcoming retirements in the sheriff’s office, including Sheriff Singleton and long‑time support staff, and said the office currently has eight full‑time patrol deputies. Asked about the jail’s condition, he said replacement or major renovation is inevitable, “You must have a jail to house people, and you have to have, by state mandate, certain conditions that they have to stay in.” On mental‑health cases, he urged broader policy attention, saying the state’s reduction of inpatient capacity has left local jails holding people who need clinical care, and that mismatch creates safety, staffing and legal challenges.
Crane also addressed mental health support for first responders, saying the department uses debriefings and outside mental health care teams after critical incidents, and he wants to expand mental‑health services accessible to sheriff’s office personnel. He described existing options, “the State Police has a team that will come in and talk to these people,” and he said he wants to build on that by increasing access to counseling and telehealth, and by making mental‑health resources more readily available to officers after traumatic calls.