A longtime investigator with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office announced plans to campaign for the department’s top spot.

Jack Smithson, who retired from the sheriff’s office when Sheriff Norman Fisher took over the helm in 2005, cited his reputation and 18 years of experience as a criminal investigator as key selling points.

“My experience in the private sector and in county law enforcement has given me the knowledge to be a good sheriff for Cherokee County,” Smithson said. “And people who know me know I don’t watch the time clock when there is work to be done.”

Smithson said he will, if elected, work closely with other law enforcement agencies in order to better protect and serve all residents of Cherokee County.

“It is my intention to have a deputy respond to each call for help, no matter what type of call,” Smithson said. “I will not tolerate the practice of crime victims being talked out of filing a report in order to reduce to number of reports written or to lessen the crime statistics.”

After 18 years of service under the administrations of three Cherokee County sheriffs, Smithson said he has earned a reputation of being dedicated and tenacious.

Smithson, Democrat, received two letters of commendation from the FBI for his help solving a bank robbery and capturing two fugitives wanted for multiple murders in California. He also earned recognition from the U. S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs for his assistance with a major drug investigation that stretched from Cherokee County into several other states.

If elected, Smithson said he would revive a Boy Scout Explorer program he helped launch several years ago. The program, Smithson said, introduces youngsters to law enforcement careers through staged scenarios and classroom instruction.

Smithson said his platform also includes the promotion of neighborhood watch programs, school resource officers in rural schools and a mounted patrol. He said extra protection for the elderly and other vulnerable residents is another important issue.

“It is our duty to protect the most vulnerable in the community,” Smithson said. “If law enforcement doesn’t look out for them, who can they turn to?”

Smithson said he would be “a full-time working sheriff who will be available around the clock.”

Former Cherokee County Sheriff’s Deputy Clint Johnson also has announced plans to campaign as a Democrat for the sheriff’s post. The official filing period for the 2008 election cycle is June 2-4. The primary election is scheduled July 29.

Reach D.E. Smoot at 918-684-2903 or Click Here to Send Email