Bruce Beggs announces his candidacy for sheriff

BRUCE BEGGS

Bruce Beggs has announced his candidacy for the office of Lincoln County Sheriff.

A life-long resident of the county, the candidate said that being sheriff is something he has always wanted to do since he began his career in law enforcement 32 years ago.

A graduate of Augusta State University and the Georgia Police Academy, Beggs served as a deputy sheriff in Lincoln County for 10 years, working his way up the ranks to chief jailer and operations manager for the department.

In 1985, he ran for superior court clerk and has been re-elected to that position five times.

"Over the past 24 years, I have had the unique opportunity to witness what it takes to effectively prepare cases for trial as well as gain valuable knowledge concerning the laws and procedures related to domestic relations and other civil matters," said Beggs. "I know what it takes to make a good case."

As superior court clerk, he has completed hundreds of hours of training in court procedure, case management, evidence handling, and so forth.

The candidate indicated that if he is elected sheriff, he plans to:

.. Increase the number of community patrols to improve the relationship between local residents and deputies.

"I want the citizens to know the deputies and the deputies to be familiar with the areas they patrol," said Beggs.

.. Re-organize the department to put more staff on the road and less people in administration.

.. Look for innovative ways to better utilize the existing budget so that the taxpayers are not burdened with more expense.

.. Discontinue the practice of closing the sheriff's office at 5 p.m. each day and on weekends.

"With the existing budget, I believe it would be possible to have personnel available to keep the lobby open, take reports, and process bond paperwork during these times," said the candidate.

.. Work hard to ensure that cases are of the quality that result in a greater percentage of high-level prosecutions, including drug cases.

.. Work closely with the school system to develop drug and alcohol awareness programs.

.. Increase local recruitment of sheriff's office personnel.

Beggs is married to the former Beth Smalley of Lincolnton, a kindergarten teacher at LCES. They have two children, Benjamin and Bethany.

Mr. and Mrs. Beggs and Bethany worship at Lincolnton Baptist Church, while Benjamin attends First Assembly of God.