HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — After more than five decades, Houston County will get a new sheriff this year. When Cullen Talton announced his retirement last year, several of his current and former employees decided to run.
The four Republican candidates will fight it out during the May primary for the chance to face off against the lone Democratic candidate Arthur Harris.
We gave each of them the chance to answer the same questions. Here’s the first one:
Listening Lab participants told us that crime is a top priority for them. If elected, what is your plan to address crime in Houston County?
Jimmy Dunn: “We've got to look at our staffing, and we've got to look at how many patrolmen we have out there. How many people are boots on the ground out there every day, our investigation team. You know uh, what's causing this crime? The ground root of it, and I'll be the first one to say, I'm not scared to say I'm a Christian, so I know what's been taken out of homes, out of schools, been taken out of courthouses is the Word of God. When we take that out, that's our number one problem with crime.”
William Kendall: “As District Attorney, I've done some pretty proactive things out of the district attorney's office with the gang task force and the counter-narcotics task force for the county. It's produced results. I would carry those things on as sheriff. I would certainly be proactive about going after gangs, which ties into our serious violent felonies committed by juveniles, but also drug traffickers, people that are peddling poison that is killing our people in Houston County.”
Matt Moulton: “If a criminal is out here going up and down Watson Boulevard, looking for an opportunity to commit a crime and they see blue lights flashing every 500 yards, they're gonna have a subconscious mindset that says I can't get away with anything. I'm going home for tonight. Versus coming out and riding up and down Watson Boulevard and not seeing a patrol car in sight for 2-3 hours, that opens up the foot hold for them to step in and start committing crimes of opportunity.”
Slate Simons: “How are we going to be proactive? We need to ride around our neighborhoods at night and our businesses. That's going to be coupled with the fact that in the citizen's academy, you'll be able to do everything from come to us and we'll help you set up a neighborhood watch program to becoming a deputy sheriff. But if we can just connect with the citizens, guess what? There are actually citizens that sit up in their neighborhoods at night and go hey - there's a white Toyota Camry and some subjects walking in hoodies they're pulling on door handles. If we can make that connection and we have that relationship and then they take a more proactive approach, cause we need help. And we need to be humble enough to admit that.”
To hear more from each of the candidates, including Democrat Arthur Harris, you watch the full videos below.
Arthur Harris:
Jimmy Dunn:
William Kendall:
Matt Moulton:
Slate Simons: