Meet the candidates for Harrison County sheriff. Where do they stand on guns, school safety?

Two longtime Harrison County deputies are competing in the Aug. 8 Republican primary to replace retiring Sheriff Troy Peterson.

Voters will decide between Louis N. Elias and Matt Haley to serve as the next sheriff because no Democrat, independent or third-party candidates are running.

Haley has spent his 26-year career at the Sheriff’s Department, working his way up from corrections officer in the jail to captain. Elias got his start in law enforcement in 1994 as an intern, then a patrolman, with the Long Beach Police Department, joining the Sheriff’s Department in 2008 and working his way up to major.

Elias, 49, says he has wanted to be in law enforcement since he was a child, dressing as an officer for career day when he was in Kindergarten and hoping one day to run for sheriff. “I have prepared for that for a lifetime,” he said.

Haley, 48, found his passion for the job once he moved from the jail to patrol, saying he enjoyed helping people and the excitement of solving crimes. “It was almost second nature to me,” he said.

The two previous sheriffs, Melvin Brisolara and Peterson, have endorsed Haley for the job. Elias says both sheriffs also have endorsed him through the promotions he received while working for the department.

The two men talked to the Sun Herald recently about what they would hope to accomplish if elected. Both left their positions with the department in January to run for sheriff.

Louis Elias campaign for Harrison County sheriff

Elias wants to keep violence out of schools by identifying threats in advance to school safety rather than reacting once a shooting or other violence has happened.

He wants to raise community awareness about recognizing and reporting threats and work with agencies that gather intelligence about threats, including a threat mitigation team at Keesler Air Force Base that he has worked with in the past. Elias believes federal, state and local agencies, school administrators and community members must work together to stop threats to school safety.

Elias also wants to hire more jailers, saying personnel is at dangerously low levels. He thinks more recruits for the job could be found among high school graduates, community college students and people leaving the military. He also said exit interviews with departing corrections officers would identify areas for improvement to reduce turnover.

He also wants to increase pay for department personnel, possibly with an annual cost of living increase and, eventually standardized pay similar to the way teachers are paid.

Elias wants to put more officers on patrol to increase the department’s visibility and deter crime. To offer raises and put more officers on the streets, he said, spending could be cut in other areas, using beach Jeep Gladiators as an example of an unnecessary expense.

More creative solutions are needed to combat illegal drugs, he said, noting the connection between crime and drugs. He believes a therapeutic, rather than punitive, approach to drug intervention is needed in some cases, with state and federal funding needed to address drug and mental health issues in the community.

Elias has also made transparency and accountability a part of his campaign. “When we do something right, we brag about it,” he said. “When we do something wrong, we should admit it. That helps build trust within a community.”

Matt Haley campaign for Harrison County sheriff

Haley wants all officers trained in crisis intervention so they can better handle school safety issues. And he wants to assign to county schools a K-9 officer so the dog can sniff out drugs and guns.

He also hopes to work with schools to start a Handle With Care program suggested to him by a friend in law enforcement. If a child has been involved in a traumatic incident, their school is contacted and told, without specifics, that the child might be going through difficulties and should be “handled with care.”

Community engagement and outreach is another area Haley wants to focus on. He said attendance at Neighborhood Watch programs has dwindled and he hopes to improve turnout. As a K-9 officer, he used to take his dog to Neighborhood Watch meetings for demonstrations. He would like to send deputies from different areas to Neighborhood Watch meetings for demonstrations and find other ways to improve participation.

He thinks officers should talk to residents about ways they can reduce crime, such as removing firearms from cars, the largest source of gun thefts, FBI data shows.

Haley also wants to increase the number of officers assigned to drug interdictions on Interstate 10, where he spent six years doing that job. He said the department has two officers working interstate interdiction, but there used to be six. The interdictions bring in money for the department and keep drugs out of the community.

While many drug dealers are just passing through, he said, he’s also stopped loads of drugs headed for the Mississippi Coast.

“A lot of drugs, a lot of fugitives, a lot of bad guys are coming through our county,” he said. “I just feel like it’s necessary for us to do our part.”