Steve Gladney is still getting used to his new celebrity status.
The incoming Oktibbeha County sheriff made headlines when he defeated 36-year Sheriff Dolph Bryan in the Democratic primary and later won the general election by a landslide.
The 55-year-old law enforcement veteran will take office at the beginning of January.
“The other day, I was walking across the street and someone said ‘Hey, sheriff,’ and it took me a minute before I realized they were talking to me,” Gladney said.
Those encounters happen often and are usually followed by the question “What are you going to do as sheriff?”
Gladney, who spent 28 years with the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol, isn’t making any promises until he gets in office in January.
He’s got 18 deputies and four investigators to interview before he can get a true sense of the issues he’ll face as sheriff. And in his first month on the job, Oktibbeha County Circuit Court will hold a grand jury term and a two-week circuit court term.
“It’s hard to tell people what you’re going to do when you’re on the outside looking in,” Gladney said. “But we’re going to hit the ground running in January.”
Gladney has made two personnel moves, including naming Chadd Garnett as chief deputy. Garnett, a sergeant in the investigations unit at the Starkville Police Department, replaces George Carrithers, who will retire after more than 20 years as Bryan’s second in command.
Gladney and Garnett forged a strong working relationship when Gladney retired from the MHP and joined the SPD as a part-time officer.
Gladney said he asked Garnett to be his chief deputy before he decided to run for sheriff.
“If he said he wouldn’t, I don’t know if I would have ran,” Gladney said. “He was the one I wanted from the start. It’s probably the most important position (at the department). You got to have someone in there you have a lot of confidence in.”
Gladney also filled a vacant investigator position with another SPD veteran investigator, Andre Quinn.
Gladney said he doesn’t foresee any additional hires but does plan to cross-train deputies and investigators once he evaluates personnel.
Fighting drug traffic
Gladney has seen it all as a highway patrolman, and he knows there’s always a new drug waiting to make its way to Mississippi.
Early in his career, he’d respond to burglary calls at drug stores where morphine had been stolen. Then it was crack cocaine and marijuana. Then crystal methamphetamine. Now, he said, prescription drugs are the biggest problem.
Gladney said he’s picked Bryan’s brain about personnel strengths and budget issues but will lean on deputies and investigators to inform him of the trouble spots and trends for drug abuse in the county.
The Golden Triangle had a tri-county drug task force in the 1980s, but it was disbanded due to lack of funding. Gladney said he believes his relationships with incoming Lowndes County Sheriff Mike Arledge and Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott will help combat drug problems in each county, even if a regional task force isn’t implemented.
Six of the seven sheriffs in the Golden Triangle are new, but Gladney knows each of them. Arledge has known Gladney for more than 30 years. The two attended Louisville High School together and shared a car as patrolmen with the MHP. Arledge said both Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties will benefit from their long-standing relationship.
“Crimes are connected in multiple counties,” Arledge said. “All of the officers and investigators need to share information and work together.
“Steve is a people person and that will go a long way in working with other departments.”
Community involvement
Gladney plans to make an immediate impact against drug abuse through community involvement. While at the MHP, he frequented area elementary and high schools for prom, graduation and drug awareness programs. While the approach may not immediately take a drug dealer off the street, Gladney said having a Drug Abuse Resistance Education program will help.
“When I was campaigning, I had a girl come up to me and she said, ‘You don’t remember me, but 10 or 15 years ago you came to my school. I can still remember the stories you told me back then,'” Gladney said. “That makes you feel good.
“You’re not going to get to every kid you talk to, but if you can reach one or two, it was time well spent.”
Gladney said he’ll pursue grants and will try to use department funds to help start an Oktibbeha County DARE program. Additionally, he hopes to hire a school resource officer.
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