By JAN GRIFFEY/Editor

COLUMBIANA — John Samaniego, Shelby County Sheriff’s Department chief deputy since 2003, is expected to announce he is a candidate for Shelby County Sheriff.

Samaniego, who was hired by Shelby County Sheriff Chris Curry as his chief deputy soon after taking office, said he has been part of building an agency he and Curry are very proud of.

“I want to preserve the hard work we’ve done and I feel I am more than qualified to do the job. Everything we’re doing now I had a hand in building,” Samaniego said. “I have the proper relationships in place and I hope the citizens of Shelby County give me an opportunity to continue to serve them.”

Prior to joining Curry in Shelby County, Samaniego was assistant chief of police for the City of Tuscaloosa Police Department, where he served for more than 24 years, starting as a patrolman.

Right out of college, Samaniego was hired by the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, where he served as a juvenile investigator on a federal grant aimed at lowering juvenile delinquency.

Samaniego has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in social work with a focus on criminal justice from the University of Alabama.

He earned his Juris Doctorate in law degree from the Birmingham School of Law in 1984.

As deputy chief at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Samaniego is responsible for supervising the four divisions of the office: Administrative, criminal investigation, uniform and corrections.

Samaniego is active in a number of law enforcement groups and organizations in Shelby County and is a Leadership Shelby County graduate.