Editor note: Law Enforcement Today proudly launched a brand new channel on Pray.com - the largest faith-based app in the world. On that channel is this new series - Sheepdog and Shepherd - where we talk all about God's hand in law enforcement. It's free to watch... but subscribers get all sorts of bonus content - and every single penny donated to our channel gets fully reinvested into telling stories like this one. Thanks for checking it out and helping us to continue to show how God is on the move. Watch the latest episode here.
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The newest episode of “Sheepdog and Shepherd” features Andy Hughes, a retired Alabama lawman and former sheriff who says he still sees policing as a calling, not just a career.
Hughes shared his personal story, starting with his adoption as an infant. Born in Birmingham in 1967, he said he was placed into foster care, then adopted six months later by a Dothan police detective and his wife. “I praise God every day for giving me those parents,” he said.
Hughes began his career at 18 as a dispatcher with the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, then worked the jail, became a deputy, and later moved into narcotics. In 1990, he joined the Dothan Police Department, where he was promoted to sergeant and worked across multiple assignments, including vice, intelligence, special operations, and patrol.
In 2006, Hughes was recommended as the Republican nominee for sheriff after a sudden vacancy on the ballot, then defeated a three-term incumbent with 66 percent of the vote. He was sworn in the next year, re-elected in 2010, and later served as assistant director for homeland security in Alabama’s consolidated law enforcement agency, overseeing units including aviation, the bomb team, and a statewide SWAT capability. He retired in 2016.
After retirement, Hughes said he wrestled with the question of purpose and leaned into a message he now shares nationwide, a talk titled “Bear the Sword,” rooted in Romans 13:4. “For he is the minister of God to thee for good,” Hughes said, noting that while critics focus on the “sword” language, most police work is service. “We spend 90 percent of our time helping people.”
A central theme of the episode was recruitment, retention, and standards. Hughes argued agencies are “recruiting blindly,” then urged officers and community members to mentor those with a “heart to serve.” He pointed to the biblical story of Gideon as a model for selection, saying the country needs more vigilant, prepared candidates.
Hughes outlined four core traits he believes are essential to effective policing. They include commitment, courage, integrity, and compassion.
Hughes closed with a message for officers who feel stuck or overlooked, urging them to stay faithful where they are and trust God’s timing. “You may be influencing somebody right now,” he said. “Just surrender to God’s will and see what he wants to do with you.”
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