Dennis Meeks has announced his plans to seek a third term as sheriff of Covington County.

Meeks said he planned to qualify as a Republican.

“Over the past seven years, we have made several changes at the sheriff’s office,” Meeks said. “When I took office in January 2007, the patrol schedule was changed to allow more officers on the road. An additional investigator ahs been added and two additional officers are part of courthouse security.

“Our patrol vehicles have been brought into the world of technology with the addition of radars, cameras and board computers,” he said.

Meeks said in his first two terms, the department has secured more than $750,000 in grants and equipment. In addition, he said, operations in the jail were streamlined for better efficiency and better security measures were put into place.

“The sheriff’s office also is fortunate to have an active reserve, posse, and senior citizens reserve units in place,” he said. “These gentlemen and ladies are vital to the success of the sheriff’s office.”

Meeks, who is a Covington County native and a graduate of Opp High School, began working with the department in 1993. He was a corrections officer, patrolman, investigator, chief investigator and chief deputy before being elected to his first term in 2006.

He is the son of Johnnie Meeks and the late Ouida Meeks. He and his wife, Altheia Veasey Mullen Meeks, have three daughters and five grandchildren.