Walker County, Georgia, Sheriff Steve Wilson, who has been sheriff since 1997, announced he will run for his seventh term.
In a statement announcing his 2020 plan, Wilson said the sheriff’s office will prioritize continued drug enforcement efforts with the Lookout Mountain Judicial Drug Task Force over the next four years.
“If we can suppress the drug use and sales in Walker County, all other crimes will reduce themselves,” he said.
Wilson also said Gov. Brian Kemp’s dedication to curb gang violence and activity in Georgia is a priority.
“The Sheriff’s Office and Drug Task Force will be prioritizing efforts to arrest and prosecute gang members to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
Wilson, who graduated from Lafayette High School in 1975, started his law enforcement career as a fingerprint examiner a year later for the FBI in Washington, D.C. Three years later he started working for the Georgia Department of Corrections and graduated from the police academy at Floyd Junior College in 1981.
He served more than five years as a patrolman for the Lafayette Police Department until 1986, when he became a deputy sheriff with the Walker County Sheriff’s Office. He became a detective a year later and served as an agent and commander of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force for seven years before being elected sheriff.
Since them, Wilson has started an inmate chaplain program, updated the investigative filing system for the digital age, started the school system’s resource officer program, and established a satellite precinct office in Rossville.
In 2016, Wilson partnered with Rossville area residents to form the Wilson Road Neighborhood Group, an advocacy group formed to reduce crime, improve codes enforcement and enhance business development along the Wilson Road corridor.
He has been married to his wife, Sandy, for 37 years. He has three adult children and three grandchildren.
Wilson was elected to his first two terms as sheriff with 73% of the vote. He ran unopposed in 2004, received 82% of the vote in 2012 and was elected unopposed in 2016.
The general primary in Georgia is May 19.
Contact Patrick Filbin at pfilbin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickFilbin.