Doug
Loyd, a local from Union County, has devoted the last 6 years of
his life to his community by loyally serving in the Union County
Sheriff's Office. He is grateful for the opportunities
provided to him by Sheriff Scott Stephens.
Because of the godly foundation
that his parents, Glenn and Gale Loyd, established in his life
and his Christian faith, Doug is committed to integrity in every
area of life and does not see moral character as an option but a
requirement in any area of public service.
Doug is not a quitter and
believes if you put your hand to the plow that you must
keep moving forward. With bulldogged determination, he is
committed to fulfill the goals and policies that he plans to
implement if he is elected as sheriff. As sheriff, Doug will
carry out his responsibilities with God at the center of his
life, and his wife, Rachel, of 10 years, by his side, and with
his three boys, Tucker, Hunter, and Tyler, cheering him on.
Qualifications
In addition to these
qualities, Doug has experiential and academic
training that qualifies him for this service:
- He served 2 of the 6 years as a
Corporal in the Union County Sheriff's Office.
- He had CIT (Crisis
Intervention Team) training that qualifies him to handle crisis
situations involving people with bi-polar disorders, Alzheimer's
disease, and Schizophrenia. There have been several instances in
which he had to implement this training.
- He is a certified SWAT
officer. This qualifies him to serve high-risk warrants,
drug-search warrants, and to handle hostage situations.
- He has served for one year
as a youth ministry leader at a local church. His service
includes mentoring, teaching, and goal-setting for teens and
young adults. He strongly agrees with the old adage that states:
"An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure." By
properly reaching out to, teaching, and training our young
people, Doug assures they will grow up to be assets to society
instead of future prison inmates. This is one of the many
instances in which Doug has exhibited the professional,
well-honed people skills vital to carrying out the
responsibilities of a sheriff.
Doug's Vision for the Sheriff's Office
As Union County Sheriff, Doug
will serve with action because it is his middle
name: His vision will entail:
-Fighting to reduce drug abuse
in the community and in the public schools and also work with the local drug abuse programs.
-Giving the community a voice
into the Sheriff's Office by having an open-door policy.
- Insuring the continuation of
the necessary education and training of all officers in the
Sheriff's Office.
-Requiring that all officers
adhere strictly to the code of ethics, involving the development
of the necessary people skills that would secure public respect
for the Sheriff's Office and enforce and secure the rights
of any individual who is suspect of a crime. Doug believes that
it is equally as important to enforce and secure the
constitutional rights of an individual as it is to to uphold or
enforce the law that the individual may have violated.
(He would put it this way: "I
don't show people the respect that they deserve but I show them
the respect that is required and expected of a public servant.
If you give respect, you get respect.")
-Applying for government
grants to fund new and up-to-date equipment to better equip
officers to do their job.
-The hiring of more officers
to adequately serve a growing population.
-The establishment of a small
precinct in Suches, assuring a better response time and officer
presence. This precinct will initially utilize an existing
county building.
- A commitment to visibility,
availability, and professional service to the public. This implies that he
will always be open to expand his vision and adapt policies if
necessary in light of and respect for public input.
-
Re-implement the Neighborhood Crime Watch program.
- Create
an auxiliary of honorary (retired) officers who will volunteer
in traffic control and county events that may require more
manpower.
