We may know who the new sheriff will be for Brown County for the next four years on March 19. The current sheriff, Gordon Ellis, has decided not to seek reelection as sheriff and plans to pursue a seat as a Brown County Commissioner. The two candidates for sheriff are David Benjamin and Chris Hodges. Both candidates were questioned by The News Democrat and The Ripley Bee , and following are their responses:
“I have decided to run for Brown County Sheriff because of my heart for service,” said Benjamin. “I believe I have had a positive effect on many lives in my 30 years as a law enforcement officer and believe as the next Sheriff you will be astounded by what we can do as an agency. I have a strong proven method of giving employees ownership of the department and allowing them to mold it into a family atmosphere they love working for, and we will do that at the Brown County Sheriff’s Office.”
Hodges said, “I want to continue the progress that we have made in the Brown County Sheriff’s Office for the past seven years. I have been a police officer in Brown County for approximately 25 years with the last seven of those being the Chief Deputy of the sheriff’s office. During this time, I have helped lead the daily operations of the sheriff’s office with Sheriff Ellis and even served as the acting sheriff for one year during his deployment.”
When asked about their education and background, and what they have to offer if elected sheriff of Brown County, Hodges said, “I have continued my education and training as a law enforcement leader through Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, the Certified Law Enforcement Executive program, and the FBI National Academy. I helped oversee the expansion of the adult detention center in 2018 and 2019 and supervised the different divisions of the office including road patrol, corrections, investigations, court services, and school resource officers.”
Benjamin replied, “I come from a law enforcement family where we have over a dozen members who have served or are serving. Throughout my lifetime I’ve been conditioned to lead by example and as a leader you serve those who you lead into battle. I couldn’t be more blessed that in over 17 years of leadership, my agencies have been very successful by serving with compassion, respect, kindness, and love. I have two associate degrees in applied science, and over 50 different certifications ranging from rope rescue, Burglary investigation, impaired driving investigation, and multiple drug identification and investigation techniques. My education and training would be utterly useless, if I had not continued to use it throughout my career. As a Chief of Police in a Village, you must wear many hats and my training and education have helped me be prepared to do that with much success. I owe my career success to a faithful God who has provided me with amazing friends who have been my officers and a family support system that is second to none.”
When asked what else they would like to add, Benjamin said, “This is my lifetime home. I want to keep this community safe from harm, joyful in their daily living, and secure in their homes no different than what I want for my own family. If you get the opportunity to meet me you will see I am a man of faith and courage no task is too big, and I will always enjoy the journey. If elected I will remain the pastor of the Aberdeen Main Cross Church and the Director of God’s Grace Food Pantry.”
Hodges said, “I have worked with county and municipal leaders as well as community organizations to improve efficiency and transparency. I believe with my training and experience I am the most qualified to make the Brown County Sheriff’s Office the most professional and efficient law enforcement agency in the area to best serve the citizens.”
Both of these candidates are running in the March 19 Republican Primary The Primary Election to determine who will represent each party in the November general election, which will determine who takes the seat as the next Brown County Sheriff.
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