Mike Rainey, a Holly Pond native, was elected Sheriff by the people of Cullman County on November 2, 2010.

Sheriff Rainey was sworn in on January 13, 2011 and officially took office on January 18, 2011.

Sheriff Rainey began his law enforcement career 28 years ago as a Cullman County Deputy where he served as a patrol officer for over five years. He has been a special investigator for the Alabama Bureau of Investigations where he performed investigations and executive security both nationally and internationally.

He was a special agent for the Northwest Alabama Drug Task Force where he helped to fight the war on drugs in the Decatur and Moulton areas. He worked undercover at all levels, from buying drugs from street dealers in the worst neighborhoods to arresting a politician for trafficking. It was this experience that helped Mike to understand the seriousness of the drug problem and drug trafficking.

Sheriff Rainey is a graduate of the Alabama Police Academy at the Alabama Criminal Justice Training Center, Selma, Alabama. He graduated from the Northeast Alabama Police Academy, Jacksonville State University, where he completed courses in “Terrorism, Security, and Survival”, and “Advanced Weapons Training”. He has been trained by the North Carolina Highway Patrol Training Center and has also been trained in “Crime Scene Investigation” from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences at Auburn University, Montgomery campus.

In addition to his law enforcement career, Sheriff Rainey has owned and successfully operated a small business for over 20 years. Sheriff Rainey is the son of the late Donald and Shelby Rainey. He and his wife have two children.