Etowah County Sheriff Primary candidates Q&A: Incumbent Jonathon Horton and Leonard Kiser

Incumbent Jonathon Horton is being challenged by Leonard Kiser, a veteran of law enforcement and the military, in Tuesday's Republican primary for Etowah County sheriff. The winner will face no Democratic opposition in November's general election.

Each candidate was asked the same five questions. Here are their answers (candidates are listed alphabetically, and minor editing may have been done to their responses):

What's the biggest challenge for the sheriff's office in the next decade?

HORTON: One of the greatest tasks is continuing to fight the drug epidemic via educating our children to not make that mistake via DARE and other community outreach and educational programs, progressively continuing our efforts with enforcement with the Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit, and continuing to embrace and advance in the technology available for crime fighting.

KISER: Hiring, training and retaining on-staff qualified deputies will continue to be a great challenge, for several reasons, unless some changes are made. Our current culture has begun to devalue the role of law enforcement officers in society, making this occupation less desirable. The salary must be increased for all levels of ECSO employees and until that’s in order, our quality personnel will move on to jurisdictions where pay is better. And finally, the overall culture in the ECSO must improve. The distrust of leadership in the office and continued appearances of corruption spreads negative energy throughout the department.

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What more can the sheriff's office do to improve retention of corrections staff?

HORTON: We have been fortunate in the past year to obtain the correctional deputies a 25% increase in pay, which raised the starting pay by $2.99 per hour, the largest raise in more than two decades collectively, while purchasing and issuing new equipment and extended training. Even though we are thankful to the Etowah County Commission for what they have recently gave, we still need more funding for better wages. The private job market is tough to compete with as the pools of candidates have appeared to shrink post-COVID. We also want to hire the right people, Corrections is a rewarding career that takes a special person, so we just have to continue to promote, attend job fairs and fight for more for the correctional deputies.

KISER: Improved retention depends on better pay as mentioned above, but better working conditions are a large part of hiring and retaining quality corrections staff. The deplorable condition of the Etowah County Detention Center must be reversed and will be one of my priorities once taking office. You cannot keep qualified staff under the current conditions and atmosphere. And, I am afraid it may get worse before it gets better, with the withdrawal of funds from the federal government. Etowah County is already upside down on the cost of the detention center.

If elected, how will you deal with the end of the ICE agreement to house immigration detainees in Etowah County?

HORTON: The ICE agreement has been declining as a benefit to Etowah County for several years now. It was disheartening to see a long-relationship come to an end on the back of a newly negotiated day rate increase of 33% and inspection results that always were above standard. However, the number of detainees has dwindled to a consistently low number drastically over the past two or three years that are very reflective of the change of power to President Biden's Administration. The Etowah County jail was never meant to house ICE detainees, it was built to house county and then state inmates until they are sentenced and inducted into the Department of Corrections Custody. We do contractually make agreements if they are beneficial to public safety and equitable to Etowah County. ICE had became no longer equitable to Etowah County. Moving forward we can focus, as we always have, on our local issues and if someone comes along that is beneficial, both safe and equitable, we will entertain the contract.

KISER: The current sheriff has placed the Etowah County Commission and all the taxpayers in a horrible situation by failing to maintain the detention center, and now losing that federal contract. The great debt owed on the detention center falls on every resident and the commission to manage it. I would step in and immediately assess what is needed for our county and state prisoners, and quickly shutter those units not needed for the present. Likewise, some negotiations must take place with the commission.

What are the primary law enforcement issues facing Etowah County in 2022?

HORTON: The fight against drugs. The largest population of inmates are in jail for a crime that is a residual effect of the abuse of drugs. Another Issue that all law enforcement entities currently face is the recruitment of deputies that have the heart and will to do this job in an ever increasing dangerous society. It is tough to see how law enforcement is portrayed in the national media, and with ever-increasing responsibilities and requirements that are imposed upon them, in conjunction with reviewing the average salary of a law enforcement officer today, to recruit as many people. Thankfully. there are still a few with the heart it takes to do this job, we just have to find them and continue as a law enforcement leader to advocate for better pay and benefits for our first responders.

KISER: In short, simple enforcement of the laws is primary. The incumbent sheriff is ignoring too many criminal activities all across our county, specifically drug trafficking and illegal gambling. Enforcing the laws on the books goes back to your initial question: The morale of the deputy staff is lower than ever. They know of criminal activity they can’t investigate nor act on.

Why are you the best candidate for the job you are seeking?

HORTON: Because of my experience along the way to this point. I have always served people my entire life since graduating high achool at West End in Walnut Grove, I served my country in the United State Navy for 4 years on the West Coast. After an honorable discharge, I immediately returned home to Etowah County and served the community as a licensed funeral director, even until this day. I continued to serve my country and state in the Army National Guard until I became a law enforcement officer as a deputy sheriff at the Etowah County Sheriff's Office in 2002. I became chief of police at the Glencoe Police Department from 2012 to 2016, then became chief of police at Rainbow City from 2016 until 2019, before being elected sheriff of Etowah County. As a law enforcement administrator/chief for the past 10 years, I have been educated and kept abreast of today's technology and law enforcement tools, policies and procedures. The past three years, as a first-time sheriff, I believe I have gained the education to have a much more efficient second term, if the public whom I serve elects me and affords me that opportunity. I am blessed to serve and will continue to educate myself and others around me to progress, and always strive to become more efficient.

KISER: In my previous careers in law enforcement and the U.S. military, I’ve administered budgets of hundreds of millions of dollars and more, and I have managed men and women of the highest caliber. I know how to live on limited funds and still fulfill the mission. I am pledged to implementing the highest quality training program and bringing pride back to this office. It simply cannot exist in the present vacuum of morals and lack of character existing in the current leadership of the sheriff’s office. Finally, I’ve said before we must think outside of the box to find some success in battling crime and enforcing the laws in Etowah County. In truth, quite honestly, we need to toss that entire box aside and start anew with fresh programs, new goals and a more direct mission as an agency. What we have now is just not working. Etowah County taxpayers deserve better and must demand better from the elected sheriff.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Etowah County Sheriff candidates: Jonathon Horton, Leonard Kiser