Hargrove Announces Bid for Re-Election as Sheriff
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY – Current Houston County Sheriff Randy Hargrove has announced he will be running for re-election as sheriff in the Republican primary. Hargrove is seeking his second term in office, telling The Messenger for him, it’s been more than a job.
“For me, it’s a calling, like a preacher gets to serve in the pulpit of a church. I believe it is a calling, something I couldn’t get away from and I still feel a great sense of duty to the citizens of Houston County,” Hargrove said. “I think they deserve the best I can give, and that’s part of what I’ve worked for since taking office in 2021.”
Hargrove acknowledged the job isn’t easy and isn’t for everyone – from working the law enforcement part, to running the county jail, to administering the biggest budget in the county.
“It’s protecting the citizens, it’s administrative issues, financial issues – all of that. It’s important to me to try to save money. I feel a great responsibility with my budget because this money belongs to the people of Houston County. That’s just a small part of what we do, as far as being responsible with the citizens’ money. There’s a multitude of things we face that our citizens don’t really see every day and would probably scare them if they did. Then, there are so many statutes that come from the state that regulate what we can and can’t do and how we do it. Things can get bogged down for a while, but we’ve got a great group of folks here at the office. We have an excellent group of commissioners who help us to get what we need.”
Hargrove pointed out a recent leak in one of the water heater’s where he was receiving bids for $5,000. By getting the work done in-house, he was able to save the county over $4,000, as well as know how to fix those sort of problems in the future.
Hargrove said the job has taught him some new lessons, in spite of being in law enforcement in Houston County for so many years.
“You think you come into the office and do some office work and go out in the field and kiss babies and that kind of stuff – and I do that as often as I can. But I involve myself not only in the administrative part of this office, making sure I’ve got good folks in the jail. There’s a huge liability at the jail and we’re very conscientious about that. The jail is probably the largest part of the county and it can be a nightmare, but our people do an excellent job,” Hargrove said. “It’s about hiring the right people, vetting them before you put them to work.”
Hargrove said he would continue the ideas that have been working well into a second term.
“One of the things I want to continue is my open door policy, unless I am in a meeting or out in the field. People are welcome to come in and visit with me,” Hargrove said. “I want to continue community policing. We we strive to be more than just law enforcement, but a service to the community and build those relationships. We get a lot of information sometimes on cases we’re working from people where we have relationships.”
Hargrove pointed to progress with working with local school districts and assisting them to open their own police departments to better protect children. He pointed to the many training programs his office provides and expanding patrols 24/7, which used to end at midnight.
Hargrove told about an employee in the jail and in dispatch who expressed interest in training to become deputies. He said he thought they might leave his office after they were trained, so he developed a program with the county to sponsor their schooling and have them agree to come and work in the county once they were certified. There are now three such cases of internal candidates who completed the training and become deputies, including the first female patrol deputy in Houston County.
Hargrove said his experience in law enforcement have led him to be more effective in the law enforcement aspect of the job.
“I spent my entire law enforcement career serving the citizens of Houston County. I have dedicated myself to getting the best training that I can. I know how to put together homicide cases on down to simple theft cases. I’m an expert witness in blood stain analysis, crime reconstruction and fingerprint identification or comparison,” Hargrove pointed out. “I’ve helped solve multiple homicides using my training. That all helped me to see what we needed to put together investigations, thorough reports, fair and just. What we search for in investigations is evidence and we let the evidence speak for itself.”
Hargrove said he will continue to protect the citizens if honored with a second term.
“I just got the calling that I needed to run for sheriff – that just came from the heart. The citizens of Houston County confirmed that by voting and I think I got well over 70% of the vote, and I certainly appreciate that. It’s been an honor to serve the citizens of this county. And with their help and support, I’m going to continue to do things to serve them. I stand for the Constitution. I took a solemn oath to protect and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States and Texas. And the way you do that is you defend the people. Their God given rights are protected by the constitution so if you protect your people, you protect their God given rights.”
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
