Jackson County Sheriff Steven Rand does not plan on resigning, despite a growing number of calls from community members for him to step down.
The latest call for resignation comes from the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce which said Steven Rand needs to go because of his "reprehensible comments and actions."
FOX 47's Alani Letang talked with the Sheriff Tuesday.
He told her the fact that his comments were made in private doesn't excuse them. He also said the last thing he ever wanted to do was embarrass his family.
"It's one of the things that pains me the most. I've got children in sports and I used to say to them 'you got my name on your jersey, don't embarrass me.' I would've never guessed there was a time when I embarrassed them." said Rand. He said knowing that is what affects him most.
"I can't apologize enough for that, there are no words to explain how sorry I am," said Rand.
Rand wouldn't address the specific racial and sexism comments because of a pending lawsuit. But he did comment on women in the workforce and how he thinks that will affect future hires.
"We have more women in our workforce than we've ever had in history. We have a predominantly female workforce and dispatch" said Rand.
Rand said that has always been the case. He also told Letang the road patrol side has more women than ever before. According to Rand, there is a high population of females working in corrections than at any other point in time.
However, even with a large female population, Rand said diversity still lacks. "We need more diversity, that's one thing where we struggle," said Sheriff Rand. He told us he encourages those with diverse backgrounds to still apply amid these allegations.
He told Letang, "I realize there will always be that question for those applying, 'are you going to work for a guy like me?' And I hope people understand there's more to the story, there's more that will be told and there is more that will unfold over time as we go to court."
Rand said he's deeply sorry for what he said and that he will be working on himself. Rand has also reached out to the Michigan Civil Commission to help him with training related to "unconscious bias" and diversity. Which Rand said is effective immediately.
"I think one of the mistakes I've made is the whole department is trained in diversity, and I look back and think I sent everyone else and I didn't go. I didn't participate in the training that was necessary for others," said Rand.
Sheriff Rand told us that he cannot comment on the lawsuit until it's finished.
Check back for updates as that process plays out.
