Woodle the best candidate for Darlington County sheriff

Darlington Police Capt. Wayne Byrd, Darlington County Chief Deputy Sheriff Tom Gainey and Lamar Police Chief Charles Woodle are looking to succeed Darlington County Sheriff Glenn Campbell, who has opted not to seek re-election.

All three candidates are Democrats, and it’s likely that whoever wins the June 10 primary will become Darlington County’s first new sheriff in 24 years.
While the three candidates are veteran law enforcement officers in Darlington County, we think Woodle is the best candidate for the job.

Both Woodle and Byrd note a sense of disconnect in Darlington County between its residents and sheriff’s office. Both campaigns emphasize the need for teamwork to combat the community’s crime problems, which law enforcement officers alone cannot solve.

It’s worth noting that all three candidates stress the need to work with the members of the community they serve and being willing to respond to its requests for public information. Recently, Woodle and Byrd both responded to a survey by the Southern Animal Welfare League regarding their stand on the treatment of animals; Gainey did not.

Gainey, in his campaign literature, stresses the need to build and maintain relationships with state and federal law enforcement agencies.

But little is said about building and maintaining relationships with other law enforcement agencies within Darlington County, which is something both Woodle and Byrd promote.

Gainey, Woodle and Byrd all offer different explanations as to why there’s no longer an active county combined drug unit. Woodle and Byrd each have spoken to the need for a concerted effort by the sheriff’s office to re-active the group, while Gainey said in his interview with the Morning News editorial board that police departments within the county are welcome to work with sheriff’s office drug investigators at any time.

All three campaigns have raised the issue of gang activity in the county, and all suggest multifaceted approaches to eliminating it.

Gainey, however, as chief deputy sheriff for 12 years, has had the opportunity to implement all of the very improvements he’s proposing to make as sheriff — especially considering he has Campbell’s endorsement.

Woodle and Byrd have offered not only specific ideas about how to improve the sheriff’s office, but also how to secure funding for making those changes. They both also have stressed the need for improved communication among employees, county officials and other law enforcement and judicial officials.

Both Woodle and Byrd have brought up the need to recognize and retain good employees and provide them with training and advancement opportunities.

And like Woodle, Byrd has pointed out that county council should be aware of the sheriff’s office’s needs before the annual budget deadlines.

Perhaps it could work in Byrd’s favor, if he is elected sheriff, that he’s never worked in the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office.

In interviews with the Morning News editorial board, Byrd was the only of the three candidates who raised the issue of Internet crimes and the need for a deputy to investigate them full-time. He also notes in his campaign literature that while Darlington County leads the state in the number of reported arsons, its sheriff’s office has no dedicated arson investigation unit.

But Woodle’s experience as a former Darlington County sheriff’s deputy — having served with its patrol, warrant, criminal investigation and narcotics unit and leading its bloodhound team — gives him insight not only into how the office works, but also how it could work better.

Woodle’s accomplishments in his nearly two years as Lamar police chief indicate the potential good he could do for the whole county as its top law enforcement officer.

Editor’s note: The Morning News editorial board interviewed candidates and is making endorsements in contested primary races where there is no November opposition. Races include candidates who represent all or parts of Florence and Darlington counties.