PULASKI COUNTY, Ga. — What was once a five-person race for Pulaski County Sheriff is now down to two men: Wayne Wiley and Terry Hood.
Ahead of the run-off, we sat down with both candidates to hear about what they would do if they were elected.
Wiley retired from the Georgia State Patrol. He was in charge of the aviation department for over 20 years, and he said his experience qualifies him for sheriff.
"At the time we had 15 pilots, 15 aircraft, three mechanics and one secretary; and I was in charge of that. So I have experience in managing a multi-million dollar budget plus managing and supervising employees," Wiley said.
Terry Hood is currently a deputy for the Dodge County Sheriff's Office, but has served in Pulaski County as a probation officer for 15 years.
He said working in the community has allowed him to make connections.
"All the local police departments in the area, the judges, the superior court judges, the district attorneys, everybody involved in the court system, so I've worked pretty much all facets of the law enforcement spectrum," Hood said.
Both candidates want to prioritize getting another school resource officer. Their county schools all sit on one plot of land from elementary to high school.
Wiley and Hood believe one officer there is not enough. Another priority is addressing the drug problem in the community.
Wiley said he wants to bring back the Oconee Drug Task Force and another resource.
"A multi-use K-9 where you know if we need them for a drug search in a vehicle or a house or whatever we can do that. It would be very beneficial to have a K-9," Wiley said.
Hood said the drug problem is elevated by the community's gang problem. He said the resources right now are low, but there's no shame in asking for help.
"We don't have a specialized basically what you call a swat team. Houston County does. Dodge County does. I believe Dooly County does. They have the dogs in the k-9 units over there. If we need help, we're going to call them," Hood said.
Both candidates said staffing shortages are happening around the country. Wiley said he'll work towards having a full staff to better cover the community.
"I've already got several people that would love to come work with us. Maybe they've gone to another agency or whatever; we'd love to have them back. We're going to get this staff back up to full staff and have our law enforcement presence where we need it here in this county," Wiley said.
Hood said he's promised current staff their jobs because he focuses on retention and then recruiting.
"I want them to stay where they are. I need them more than they need me right now. Then we're going to go out and recruit more deputies. There's some deputies I want them back. There's some deputies that have been there, and I've seen the way they talk to the citizens…they're not coming back," Hood said.
Early voting starts Monday June 10. Polls in Pulaski County will only be open for one week and will not be offered on Saturday.