By GINNY COOPER / Staff writer

SHELBY COUNTY—Shelby County business owner Rick Needham of North Shelby County announced his candidacy for Shelby County Sheriff Monday, Feb. 3.

Needham, 52, who owns and operates an investigative firm that specializes in insurance fraud, said that law enforcement runs in the family.

“My father was a Montevallo police chief and my uncle was a police captain for Birmingham,” Needham said. “I’ve been around it my whole life.”

Needham attended the University of Southern Mississippi and Auburn University, but did not earn a degree. He graduated from the Montgomery Police Academy and served as a police officer in Auburn from 1985 to 1987 before leaving to establish Resource Action Network Investigative Services.

“I think what I bring to the table is an innovative business skills as well as a law enforcement background,” Needham said. “I think that I can use these skills to serve the citizens of Shelby County.”

Needham also completed the Shelby County Law Enforcement Chaplain’s Academy. Needham and his wife, Carla, have four children: Jacob, Nicole, Allison and Tyler. The couple resides in North Shelby County and attends Briarwood Presbyterian Church.