Melesa Johnson is Mayor Quinton Lucas’ director of public safety. During her campaign, she emphasized that deep-seated problems cannot be addressed solely through arrests.

Democratic nominee Melesa Johnson will be the next Jackson County Prosecutor. On Tuesday, Johnson won the election with, according to unofficial Jackson County results. The race was between Johnson and Republican Tracey Chappell.

Johnson, a Democrat, beat Tracey Chappell, a Republican, in the heavily Democratic county. The race was heated in its last days as the two candidates debated how to handle a spike in property crimes.

Democrat Melesa Johnson was elected as Jackson County prosecutor, making her the first Black woman to hold that office, per KSHB. Johnson defeated Republican Tracey Chappell in the race for Jackson County prosecutor by a large margin.