MARION COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – In the last year, Marion County has dealt with a great deal of crime. The county’s faced convenience store break-ins, store robberies, car break-ins, and drug related arrests.
Now, two men say they’re ready to change that with the new title, Sheriff.
Sheriff Mark Richardson has been the Sheriff in Marion County for more than ten years now. This year, Richardson decided he would not run again, and now, Dewayne Tennie and Brian Wallace are asking for your vote.
“We have to work together, and I think once we pull that together, bridging the gap, building that trust in the community, then everything else will fall into place and we’ll have a wonderful county that we can be proud of and be safe in,” said Tennie.
Tennie is the current Chief of Police for the City of Marion, and he’s spent 20 years in law enforcement.
Tennie says as sheriff, he’d work to form more crime watch groups in the community to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community and provide more resources to the school district to keep students safe.
“I love this county. I love the citizens here. That’s all I know is law enforcement, is keeping people safe,” said Tennie.
Wallace says he’d also like to close the gap between the community and law enforcement.
“What I want to focus on is transparency. With the sheriff’s office, if we do well, I want the people to know about it. If we don’t do well, I want people to know about it,” said Wallace.
Wallace has served 16 years with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Wallace says if elected, he’d work to improve response times by officers, enhance officer training, and ensure better relations in the community.
“I’ve been with the sheriff’s office 16 years. I have proven myself as a leader in this community,” said Wallace.
Both men say they believe the Marion County Sheriff’s Office should have an open door policy so members of the community can come in and voice their concerns.
That election will be held on June 14, 2016.
Count on News 13 to keep you updated with the latest.