In the contest for Washtenaw County Sheriff, Eugene Smith Jr. is attempting to unseat the current sheriff of 12 years, Republican Ronald Schebil.
"It is time for a change," said Smith, a Democrat with 25 years of corrections and law enforcement experience in Washtenaw County.
Schebil said he finds his job very challenging, partly because of the size of his department. He is the "chief law enforcement officer of the county," in charge of 273 employees and with an $18.5-million budget.
Schebil, who graduated from the University with a bachelor's degree in business, said his job as sheriff includes overseeing the county jail. He said his department is dedicated to improving the lives of inmates.
"We work with inmates in the jail that need assistance," he said. "We try to work with them to break their problems."
Schebil said inmates have educational programs, job-skills programs and initiatives directed at the intervention and prevention of substance abuse.
Smith, a graduate of Washtenaw Community College with a law enforcement associate degree with honors, said he wants to cut police response time in the western sector of the county.
Smith said he feels strongly about implementing a criminal justice apprenticeship program. The program would be offered to anyone with a degree in corrections or law enforcement, or someone willing to obtain one of these degrees.
"It takes time and patience to deal with inmates, especially out on the streets," Smith said. "It takes a special person."
Through his apprenticeship program, Smith said he will provide those "special" people with the opportunity to receive training.
The sheriff's department is also responsible for townships that do not have their own police departments.
including Dexter and Manchester.
"One hundred thousand (people in Washtenaw County) depend on the sheriff department for their police department," Schebil said. "We also provide safety for the courts in the county."
Both Smith and Schebil said programs for children in the county are very important.
Smith said he promotes "programs that help the disadvantaged and at risk youth of our community."
One of the existing programs is D.A.R.E., a substance abuse prevention program based on the interaction of officers and children.
"We are very interested in the kids in our community," Schebil said of his department.