The position of sheriff is a multi-faceted one, and sheriffs are tasked with keeping the peace within the county amongst a host of administrative and law enforcement duties. The sheriff is the head of the Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies respond to calls for emergency service, enforce local ordinances and state and federal laws and maintain a sense of tranquility by visibility in communities they patrol.

The sheriff is over the county jail, all officers and their training, and is responsible for the budget of the office’s estimated expenses. Office administration, criminal investigations, court services

dispatch and patrol, detention centers, law enforcement training and animal control are elements that fall under the sheriff’s responsibilities. They are elected every four years.

There are two candidates running for the position of sheriff. The incumbent is Steve Rushing, Republican, running against hopeful John Wayne Leggett, Democrat. Both are lifelong members of Lincoln County who say serving the community is priority number one.

Rushing has held the position for the past eight years and worked in the Sheriff’s Office for 19 years. Rushing said he started as a road officer and worked his way through the LCSO, learning everything he could.

Rushing earned a criminal justice degree from University of Southern Mississippi and since then has continued his education and training. Rushing graduated the National Sheriff’s Institute where he was taught administrative skills along with sheriffs from all over the nation. He has also graduated FBI Command College, an executive level training for sheriffs and police chiefs across the state, among several other classes.

“I try to keep up on the latest law enforcement trends and education as much as I can, not only for me but my officers also,” Rushing said. “Anything I can do to help serve the people or my officers we try to incorporate it into our department.”

The LCSO participates in numerous programs, including several community outreach programs such as D.A.R.E., which holds several programs, visits and talks throughout the year at area schools about drugs and alcohol. Another program is a joint effort with the Brookhaven Police Department and AARP, called Triad, that holds monthly programs at the Jimmy Furlow Senior Center on topics like fraud targeting the elderly and home safety. Rushing has also been at the forefront of the fight to keep joint state county work programs, which Rushing says are invaluable to not only the county and community for the work they do, but to the inmates as well.

Rushing said the office is always seeking grants, right now focusing on updating firearms and laptops in the patrol cars.

“My goal eight years ago when we started was to better the community and serve the community. In the past years it’s been tough, but we’ve made arrests and answered the call more or less to serve our community,” Rushing said. “Something I like to stress to everybody is if something’s still out there, we don’t stop. We still go back and try to solve any old cases if something is outstanding, we’re working on it daily.”

Rushing served as president of the Mississippi Sheriff’s Association in 2012. President of MSA is an elected position among the 82 counties, chosen by the sheriffs. Rushing serves on the legislative committee within the MSA.

“I’m real proud of the work we do with them because it gives us a say in some of the laws and helps us work with the legislators,” he said. “It gives Lincoln County a voice there.”

“I always enjoy working in law enforcement, serving people of our community,” Rushing said. “I’ve been serving as sheriff for a little over eight years now. When I came in it was a tough time for us. The goal back then was to build a department that was not only to serve and protect the people of Lincoln County, but to be one that could be an example for others. We’ve worked real hard to do that.”

Rushing and his wife, Cassandra, have three children and are active members at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, where Rushing is a deacon.

Leggett is a retired state trooper with 24 years of experience with the Mississippi Highway Patrol. During that time, Leggett said, he attended numerous schools for training on investigation, interviewing, traveling criminal apprehension and others.

Leggett said during his time with MHP he worked hard and took his job very seriously, earning Trooper of the Year statewide and then traveling to Washington, D.C. as one of 12 to receive the Top Cop award. Within the Mississippi State Trooper Association over the years, Leggett was awarded for most felony arrests, most cocaine and marijuana seized, most recovered stolen vehicles and he seized the most currency.

Leggett was also awarded the Medal of Valor, the highest award given by the Highway Patrol, for a shootout with escaped convicts. He received another award for responding to a terrible wreck that occurred close to his house where he and his son pulled several people out of a burning vehicle.

“I tried to treat everyone fairly, and I worked hard and took the extra steps and went the extra mile to try accomplish what needs to be done,” Leggett said of his time with MHP.

“I didn’t really have that much opportunity to help people,” Leggett said. “With local stuff in my community all I could do is relay it to [other agencies] and wasn’t able to do anything about it. I have family that is here, sons here, grandkids here. I think that the crime rate is getting out of hand, and I’m not pointing fingers or blaming anyone, just that I want the opportunity to see what I can do to make Lincoln County better.”

Leggett said if elected he would want to get professional training for all personnel, especially investigators responding to crime scenes so that they know how to correctly gather evidence to prosecute the people committing crimes. He said he would call for programs with schools and churches to educate children and parents about drugs, as well as working to create a better relationship between citizens and law enforcement.

“I think a majority of our crimes come from drugs — theft so they can swap it or sell it to get drugs,” Leggett said. “I think if we help the drug problem it’ll help the other crimes too. Also the public needs to be able to trust and respect local law enforcement agencies enough that they can report something going on and know that we take them seriously and will look into it without fear of retaliation against them. There’s so much crime, break-ins, and somebody knows about it. It’s not just the people breaking in and a lot of times people will see it going on but are kind of scared to say anything about it.”

Leggett is married to Frankie Brown Leggett, and they have three sons, which are all in law enforcement, with three daughters-in-law, seven grandchildren and more on the way. They attend Calvary Baptist Church in Bogue Chitto.