A forum held Tuesday night spotlighted the different ideas shared by both candidates in the race to lead the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office. 

Incumbent Sheriff Noel Brown shared the stage with challenger Rey Rodriguez in the forum at Emma Kelly Theater, sponsored by the Statesboro Herald and hosted by the Averitt Center for the Arts. Jim Healy, the Herald’s operations manager and editor, served as moderator and asked the candidates various questions regarding the jail, sheriff’s office and services they provide. 

Brown, who has been in law enforcement for more than 26 years, many of which were with the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, was elected to office in 2016. Before that he supervised the courts and civil warrants unit under rank as sergeant. He served in the U.S. Army during Desert Storm and Desert Shield. 

Rodriguez also has an extensive military background and is currently a deputy and a soldier. He was honored twice by the Georgia Sheriff’s Association for Deputy of the Year and worked with the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office as a patrol deputy, SWAT and field training officer for more than a decade before taking a position with the sheriff’s office in a neighboring county. 

Although both men agree the office of sheriff should be nonpartisan, Rodriguez is running on the Democratic ticket as Brown is Republican. 

Addressing the issues 

Healy asked Brown if he is reelected, what are the top issues that need to be addressed and how he plans to handle them. 

Keeping up with growth is the most pressing concern, Brown said. “With growth comes people.” The county’s infrastructure and services need to grow along with population, but population “grew and we didn’t.” While a current jail and sheriff’s office expansion is being constricted, Brown said at least 30 positions are needed, as well as more road deputies, to catch up to speed and keep citizens safe. 

He also said battling drugs and stopping exploitation of the elderly, including scams, is important. 

Rodriguez agrees that drugs are a major problem but feels more partnerships with city and university police, as well as state and federal agencies, should be implemented. If elected, he said he would immediately address the budget and overtime struggle, jail conditions, promotion and retention of employees. 

When asked about jail conditions, Rodriguez said “many people, who do not know one another, have told me the same things” about the jail having problems with bed bugs, mold, head lice and other issues.  As sheriff he would implement routine inspections and ensure the issues did not get neglected. Brown said the jail is inspected by the sheriff and staff, and while inmates are expected to clean their environment, jailers oversee the process. Regular pest control services are also used, he said. The constant influx of people make bedbugs and lice a persistent problem, but “even hotels and motels have them.” 

Brown did not clearly state any concerns with the jail, except with the need for staffing. He did explain how COVID-19 is controlled by screening and quarantining new inmates for 14 days before releasing them into general population. As of Tuesday, no inmates have had the virus, he said. 

Overtime, role of sheriff 

Brown said until his office is fully staffed he cannot eliminate overtime. 

“We’re not ever going to cut services.” 

There is a cap on salaried employees getting overtime, but as to who does get it, that depends on who wants it, he said. Employees who seem to get tremendous amounts of overtime are the ones willing to take the hours, he said. 

Rodriguez said he would try to control expense by assigning overtime to those paid lower hourly wages and limit administrative employees to four 10-hour work days a week.  

“Other law enforcement in counties our size do this,” he said. “I work for one” 

The candidates had differing opinions on Bulloch’s worst crime problems. Rodriguez believes teamwork between Georgia Southern University and Statesboro police to combat gun violence is necessary, adding that the shootings mainly center around the Statesboro and GSU area. 

Brown said it was GSU and Statesboro, not the sheriff’s office, which pulled out of the Crime Suppression Team, a tri-agency partnership, when he took office. He agreed drugs are a pressing issue county wide. 

Brown answered a question about racism and stereotyping in law enforcement by saying it is “absolutely not tolerated.” But Rodriguez advised him to check and “clean up” social media accounts of some sheriff’s employees, who he said reflect racial and derogatory comments. Brown said as far as sensitivity training, “The Holy Bible and the law of the land is all you need.” 

Rodriguez said he would, as sheriff, attend and participate in diversity exercises and community events.  

 Each candidate had a decidedly different view of what the role of a sheriff should be.

Brown said a sheriff “does not need to micromanage his office” and instead should be accessible to people and “help them with their problems”

Two examples he gave were doing a favor for a neighboring sheriff whose daughter had car trouble, and making a call to Atlanta to help an elderly man get his drivers license issue fixed.

“People like to meet with and talk to the sheriff,” he said. 

Rodriguez said a sheriff “should lead from the front” and be more visible in events, as well as take an active role in the enforcement of the law and working with others to keep the county safe.