Former Hartsville police chief challenging Chavis for sheriff
From Staff Reports
Former Hartsville police chief James Hudson Jr. will challenge Darlington County Sheriff Tony Chavis in the Democratic primary this summer.
Hudson, promising to “return law and order to Darlington County,” becomes the second candidate to oppose Chavis’ bid for re-election. Michael August, a law-enforcement veteran, is seeking the Republican nomination for sheriff.
Chavis was elected in 2016 as a Democrat.
Hudson was Hartsville’s police chief from May 2011 to December 2014. He left that post to become chief deputy with the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office. He had worked there previously as a patrol officer for 10 years, and investigator and captain. He has most recently worked as a patrol commander and captain with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Hudson says he wants to work with Darlington County Council to come up with a law-enforcement plan for the county that “benefits everyone.” Other goals on his agenda include “community-oriented policing,” “less politics” and an “open-door” policy in terms of communicating with citizens and employees.
On Hudson’s campaign website, he says:
“It is very hard to be a police officer in today’s society. Law enforcement is constantly under ridicule and under a magnifying glass in this country. … We as a society forget that police officers are human beings. There are countless numbers of good police officers all across this country that put on a uniform, go to work every day and put their lives on the line. …
“Just as with any profession, there are a few bad apples out there, and due to lack of funding, training, inexperience or other underlying issues, these few bring a negative mark on law enforcement as a whole. …
“We are living in an age today of social media, where some of society craves negativity. There is too much negative being put out in the news and on social media pertaining to things that occur in our community. No one seems to be interested in a good deed being done by law enforcement or even anything positive in reference to law enforcement. …
“We are living in a world today where private citizens can’t totally rely on law enforcement to protect them and their families anymore. This is why citizens are granted the Second Amendment. We are living in a world that seriously needs God’s intervention. It needs the prayers of everyone.”
