Veteran law enforcement officers seek to replace retiring Dougherty County Sheriff Kevin Sproul

ALBANY — The Democratic candidates who will vie Tuesday to replace long-time Dougherty County Sheriff Kevin Sproul, who announced his plans to retire on Aug. 1 last year, point to their connections as a primary reason voters should punch their ticket on the primary ballots.

"It's almost like I have a cheat sheet," Dougherty Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Terron Hayes said. "Over the years, I've watched, and I've learned. Any time you have a change at the top of an organization, there are going to be changes. But the managerial changes will be minor with me.

"I've learned so much from my fellow officers in the department and from the man whose place I hope to take. (Sproul) has been more than a boss to me, he's been my friend. Over the years, he's allowed me to grow to the point that I'm ready to move into that office."

Hayes' opponent, Albany State University Police Officer Keithen Hall, who worked 32 years with the Albany Police Department before retiring and taking a position at ASU, said his connection is with the community.

"Everywhere I go, people are coming up to me and saying, 'We got you ... we're with you ... we got your back,'" Hall said. "I was born and raise in Albany; I know the people here. If somebody starts acting up here, I'm going to call their grandma. Those personal connections are a real big deal.

"When I worked Robbery/Homicide (with APD), I found my calling. I can read people; there's a rhythm to this. I think those things are very important."

Hayes, who started his career with APD, has worked in local law enforcement for 28 years, the last five as DSO Chief Deputy. He said his primary concern if he wins Tuesday's election (there is no Republican candidate, so the winner of the Democratic primary will, in essence, be the sheriff-elect) is to start working on ways to further curtail crime in the community.

"Our primary concern is to make Albany/Dougherty County a safer community," Hayes said. "To do that, we have to have the bodies to fill (vacant) positions. So one of my primary jobs will be to recruit and retain staff. And we have to pay them at a level that gives them incentive. People are leaving the profession already; we have to pay them a decent wage to keep them."

Hall said he's accustomed to operating in a system where everyone must do his or her job in order for the system to function properly.

"Hey, I came from a litter of 10; I lived in a home where every one of us had our jobs, and for everything to work, everyone had to do their assigned jobs," he said. "By doing that, we all took care of each other, and our family worked. We weren't rich, but our clothes were clean and we had food on the table.

"An organization like the Sheriff's Office is like a family. We all have to work together to function as a team. That's what I want to do."

Each of the candidates says he has platform priorities that will make the Sheriff's Office function more effectively. Hayes's is "Jail to Jobs," while Hall's is "PPST: Partnership, Pay, Safety, Transparency."

"Recidivism is a big problem, so one of the programs in my platform is 'Jail to Jobs,' and one of the primary focuses is inmate education," Hayes said. "We've got to do everything we can to help our inmates prepare for life outside the prison system. If we can work with agencies like Albany Technical College to help them prepare for a job once they're released, there's less a chance they will come back.

"We want inmates to leave with a feeling of self-reliance; we want them to know they can live productive lives of doing for themselves, not taking from others."

Hall said his PPST plan is an outline for his tenure as the county's top law enforcement officer.

"Law enforcement is a partnership, and I want to build relationships with all the other agencies in the county so that they know that, if say (APD) Chief (Michael) Persley needs me, all he has to do is call," Hall said. "I also think pay if an important factor. This is a dangerous job; people are putting their lives on the line. They deserve a decent salary.

"I think safety is vital, and since the jail and courthouse are important functions we're responsible for, we'll make sure the judges and other employees know they're safe. And you can count on transparency from me. No matter what happens — good or bad — we're going to talk about it. The public has a right to know what's going on."

Hayes has gotten a key endorsement as he winds down his first political campaign: that of outgoing Sheriff Sproul.

"That means the world to me; I'm so humbled," he said. "He taught me a lot, and he's invested a lot of time in teaching me. Professionally and personally, I want to make him proud of me."

Hall, meanwhile, said the community is responding to his call to stop the flow outward by the local population.

"We've got to get back to that thing of growth and stability," he said. "If we don't so something in the next two or three years, you're going to see this community turn into a ghost town. And it's almost impossible to come back from that."

Polls in all precincts will be open for Tuesday's primary election from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.