Changes

| nationality=[[United States|American]]

| nationality=[[United States|American]]

| office=[[Sheriff]] of St. Tammany Parish<br> [[Louisiana]]

| office=[[Sheriff]] of St. Tammany Parish<br> [[Louisiana]]

| party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]]-turned-[[Republican Party|Republican]] (1995)

| party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]]-turned-[[Republican Party|Republican]] (2003)

| term_start=1996

| term_start=1996

| term_end=2016

| term_end=2016

Sheriff Smith said that he had previously heard of the allegations against his predecessor. In an interview with WWL-TV, Smith said, “When you have allegations of sexual abuse involving minors, it’s sickening.”<ref name=huffingtonpost/>  

Sheriff Smith said that he had previously heard of the allegations against his predecessor. In an interview with WWL-TV, Smith said, “When you have allegations of sexual abuse involving minors, it’s sickening.”<ref name=huffingtonpost/>  

Strain is also the target of a federal probe looking into a former work-release program which Strain supervised. Tim Lentz, a former deputy under Strain and the former police chief in Covington, said that he was shocked by the allegations and that his former boss must be investigated and held accountable for any crimes proved.<ref name=investigation/> Strain faces potential charges of having received kickbacks from two of deputies, Clifford "Skip" Keen, Jr., and David Hanson, Sr., after Strain awarded a contract to a company established in the names of children of the deputies. In the federal document, Strain is referred to as "Public Official 1." He allegedly received $1,000 on a recurring basis from the fall of 2013 through the autumn of 2016 in exchange for “bestowing the right to operate the work-release ," known as St. Tammany Workforce Solutions . Strain has not been charged in probe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nola.com/crime/2018/11/2-former-st-tammany-deputies-charged-in-federal-probe-involving-ex-sheriff-jack-strain.html|title=Former Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain received kickbacks after awarding work-release contract: feds|publisher=''New Orleans Times-Picayune''|author=Robert Rhoden|date=November 28, 2018|accessdate=December 14, 2018}}</ref>  

Strain is also the target of a federal probe looking into a former work-release program which he supervised. Tim Lentz, a former deputy under Strain and the former police chief in Covington, said that he was shocked by the allegations and that his former boss must be investigated and held accountable for any crimes proved.<ref name=investigation/> Strain faces potential charges of having received kickbacks from two of deputies, Clifford "Skip" Keen, Jr., and David Hanson, Sr., after Strain awarded a contract to a company established in the names of children of the deputies. In the federal document, Strain is referred to as "Public Official 1." He allegedly received $1,000 on a recurring basis from the fall of 2013 through the autumn of 2016 in exchange for “bestowing the right to operate the work-release," known as St. Tammany Workforce Solutions . Strain has not been charged in probe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nola.com/crime/2018/11/2-former-st-tammany-deputies-charged-in-federal-probe-involving-ex-sheriff-jack-strain.html|title=Former Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain received kickbacks after awarding work-release contract: feds|publisher=''New Orleans Times-Picayune''|author=Robert Rhoden|date=November 28, 2018|accessdate=December 14, 2018}}</ref>  

Under Strain's tenure, St. Tammany Parish had the highest incarceration rates for [[African-American]] men in the state. Some used the pejorative "St. Slammany" to refer to the incarcerations. Strain was repeatedly questioned about [[racist]] incidents, which became the focus of his failed 2015 reelection bid. His opponents noted that in 2014 racist emails were sent and received by two high ranking detectives at the sheriff's office. The emails likened black males to animals, called then [[U.S. President]] [[Barack H. Obama]] a "monkey", and referred to African-Americans as the “entitlement crowd.”<ref name=huffingtonpost>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/controversial-ex-louisiana-sheriff-accused-of-sexually-abusing-teens_us_5c141908e4b009b8aea7414e|title=Controversial Louisiana Ex-Sheriff Accused Of Sexually Abusing Teens:

Under Strain's tenure, St. Tammany Parish had the highest incarceration rates for [[African-American]] men in the state. Some used the pejorative "St. Slammany" to refer to the incarcerations. Strain was repeatedly questioned about [[racist]] incidents, which became the focus of his failed 2015 reelection bid. His opponents noted that in 2014 racist emails were sent and received by two high ranking detectives at the sheriff's office. The emails likened black males to animals, called then [[U.S. President]] [[Barack H. Obama]] a "monkey", and referred to African-Americans as the “entitlement crowd.”<ref name=huffingtonpost>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/controversial-ex-louisiana-sheriff-accused-of-sexually-abusing-teens_us_5c141908e4b009b8aea7414e|title=Controversial Louisiana Ex-Sheriff Accused Of Sexually Abusing Teens: Allegations against Jack Strain reportedly surfaced during a federal probe into a now-defunct work release program he supervised|publisher=''[[Huffington Post]]''|date=December 14, 2018|author=David Lohr|accessdate=December 18, 2018}}</ref>

Allegations against Jack Strain reportedly surfaced during a federal probe into a now-defunct work release program he supervised|publisher=''[[Huffington Post]]''|date=December 14, 2018|author=David Lohr|accessdate=December 18, 2018}}</ref>

Strain is a cousin of Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner [[Mike Strain|Michael Gene "Mike" Strain]], a Republican elected to a third term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 12, 2019. Another cousin, R. H. "Bill" Strain, a Democrat, preceded Mike Strain in the District 74 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Mike Strain assumed the House seat in 2000, eight years before his election as agriculture commissioner.

Strain is a cousin of Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner [[Mike Strain|Michael Gene "Mike" Strain]], a Republican elected to a third term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 12, 2019. Another cousin, R. H. "Bill" Strain, a Democrat, preceded Mike Strain in the District 74 seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Mike Strain assumed the House seat in 2000, eight years before his election as agriculture commissioner.