Barnes hopes to be next sheriff
By John Joyce
Published in News on October 25, 2014 10:44 PM
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Glenn Barnes
Tanks of gas. Plates of barbecue. And signs, lots of signs.
Glenn Barnes could not have been any busier in recent weeks shaking hands and spending money, all to get the vote out.
Barnes, a Democrat, is banking on experience -- and votes -- to carry him to victory in the contest for Wayne County Sheriff.
"I have 30 years of experience in full-time law enforcement, with a stress on full-time," Barnes said.
His journey to the polls began at 20 years old when he first walked a beat downtown as a Goldsboro police officer. He climbed the ranks to the position of captain in the police department's administrative bracket before retiring.
Barnes' resume includes time in patrol, investigations, as a supervisor and as a member of the budgeting committee for the police department.
"And with that, I, too, have owned and operated a private business for several years," he said. "Cops don't make any money so you've got to work two jobs. I did that part-time while I did law enforcement full-time -- not the other way around."
Barnes ran four years ago against Carey Winders, the 20-year incumbent who passed away in 2013, opening the door for Larry Pierce, another longtime hopeful for the position, to be appointed to the office.
Barnes said his chances are better this go-around because, unlike against Winders, name recognition is in his favor.
"A lot of people still don't know who (his opponent, Larry Pierce) is," Barnes said.
Barnes places an emphasis on transparency and training, and said that community service will be at the forefront of his tenure as sheriff if elected.
"Any type of training is a benefit. The better-trained a department is, the better they operate," he said.
That is why Barnes does not feel the need to step in right away and "clean house," so to speak.
He said he plans to invite each current deputy and detention officer to stay on and be sworn.
"My goal is to see what's going on now, and to talk to each and every employee to see what kind of input and ideas they've got, their likes and dislikes, just compile all that information before making any decisions on any changes," he said.
Any additional changes he would make will have to be evaluated.
"I like the analogy where I compare myself to a mechanic. If someone pulls up in front of my garage and says to me, 'I need you to fix my car,' I'm not going to know what I need to do to that car until I check it out," Barnes said.
One change already under evaluation by the county is the need for a new jail.
Overcrowding in the Wayne County Detention Center forces inmates to be sent to neighboring counties that have space available in their jails for housing. The costs associated with the current practice represent a deficit where Barnes would like to see a profit turned.
"A new jail is needed because we are spending a lot of money housing inmates in other counties. One of the neighboring counties we're utilizing built a new jail not too many years ago and for the last five years they have created excess revenue, more than $1 million each year from housing inmates from outside their county, including our county," he said.
Community programs rather than more prisons are the key to curtailing crime as Barnes sees it.
"My ultimate goal is to keep people out of jail rather than to keep building new jails to put them into. The immediate need is for a new jail, but I don't ever want to fill it up."