STARKVILLE — During the Democratic primary elections for Oktibbeha County sheriff, candidates touted experience, experience and more experience.
Detailed plans for office were kept under the lid.
Meanwhile, unopposed Republican candidate Rudy Johnson crafted his campaign to revitalize the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office.
Monday, during “An Evening with the Republican Candidates” at the Starkville Sportsplex, Johnson, like the other candidates, shared his background, experience and plans if elected during the Nov. 8 general election.
Candidates kept their speeches brief, as all the county candidates and district representatives and senators took turns at the lectern.
Away from the stage, though, is where Johnson had adequate time to delve into his plans to enhance the OCSO.
Johnson, currently executive director of the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District, is an experienced grant writer and says state and federal funding is available to implement new programs.
Johnson said there’s no reason the OCSO can’t have DUI officers, a stronger DARE — Drug Abuse Resistance Education — program and a cold-case unit to investigate unsolved crimes, without adding to the budget.
Johnson will face Democrat Steve Gladney, who defeated nine-term sheriff Dolph Bryan in the August primary runoff.
“With my experience working with other cities and counties, using Homeland Security grant dollars to get equipment and fund different programs, I want to do the same for our county,” Johnson said. “I want to make sure our officers are trained because the world changes every day. I want to make sure they’re up to speed with what’s going on in other states, whether it be illegals, drugs or gangs.”
Six of the seven counties under the GTPDD umbrella (Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay, Noxubee, Winston and Choctaw) will have a new sheriff after November. Johnson thinks the new law enforcement landscape will provide the perfect opportunity to use his connections to reinstitute the Golden Triangle Drug Task Force, which was formed in the early 1980s.
“We’re going to need all the sheriffs working together, whether we get a drug task force together or not,” Johnson said. “The county must have a stronger working relationship with Mississippi State, Starkville police and the highway patrol.”
Johnson also believes the county would benefit from a large auxiliary force. Johnson said he can add 40 to 50 auxiliary deputies to the OCSO.
“Sometimes at night, we don’t have but three officers covering the entire county,” Johnson said. “If you have a disturbance at Sturgis and one at Maben, and you got someone at Sessums, they have to leave Sessums to go to Sturgis. You look at the wear and tear, fuel and all the things that encompass the safety of officers. But if you have auxiliaries, you have extra manpower all over the county. There’s so many people who want to do it, retired officers who want to still be hands on but don’t have a mechanism to do that. In law enforcement, it stays in your blood.”
Monday’s social drew 300 people, who heard from all of the local Republican candidates as well as District 15 Sen. Gary Jackson, R-French Camp; District 37 Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus; and District 35 House of Representatives candidate Joey Hood. Congressman Gregg Harper, R-Miss., was the keynote speaker.
Oktibbeha County resident John Robert Arnold was presented a Distinguished Service Award by Harper at the beginning of the event.
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