Jack Strain, Jr., was born Nov. 28, 1962, in Abita Springs, La. He graduated from Covington High School in 1980 and became a police officer in 1981, working for the Abita Springs and Covington Police Departments.

In 1986, he became the youngest elected law enforcement executive in Louisiana when voters chose him as Abita Springs Police Chief. He was re-elected in 1990 and 1994, and announced his candidacy for St. Tammany Parish Sheriff in the late spring of 1995.

In October 1995, Strain led a field of 10 candidates vying to replace retiring Sheriff Patrick J. Canulette, leading to a runoff victory in November of that year. He took office July 1, 1996. In September 1999, Strain was re-elected as sheriff with no opposition, the first time in 40 years a sitting sheriff was unopposed. He began his second term on July 1, 2000. He now seeks a third term in the October 4th, 2003 election.

In his eight years as sheriff, Strain has overseen the expansion of the Parish Jail from 340 to more than 1,000 beds; an increase in deputy workforce from 300 to more than 600; the acquisition of more than $16 million in state and federal grants; and an agency-wide computerization effort that has become a model for law enforcement throughout Louisiana and the nation.

Strain is married to the former Lisa Palmer, a registered nurse, and is the father of Rhett, 15, and Rachel, 8. The Strains still make their home in Abita Springs, and the sheriff is an active member of St. Jane de Chantal Catholic Church.