Republican and long-time law enforcement officer Jeff Royall has filed as an unaffiliated candidate for sheriff of Yadkin County.

“I think the management needs to change,” Royall said Saturday while campaigning during the Boonville Heritage Days Festival.

He will face incumbent county Sheriff Michael Cain in the general election in November 2010.

“I know there are some good guys there who just need the right leadership and the right style of management," he said. "The whole county will benefit from it. You can’t have a 300 percent turnover rate and offer citizens anything because the young guys, they don’t have the experience.

Royall said the purposed turnover rate in the sheriff's department demonstrates issues that need addressing

“I think a high turnover rate in the county shows the management problem, not a personnel problem. If we can retain some of the experience, some of the county system can benefit from it as a whole, with investigative and patrol techniques. You know the deputies are first-line investigators.

“It’s not a bad reflection on them at all. They just don’t have the experience. Without keeping people on the job, you’re not going to have them in positions to gain experience,” Royall, a self-described conservative, said.

He also said there needs to be a refocusing of efforts to enforce drug laws in the county.

“We have very little narcotics enforcement in Yadkin County. The perfect example is the Town of Yadkinville with 2,800 citizens had one narcotics detective. The county of Yadkin with 38,000 citizens has one narcotics detective. The ratio is wrong there. I think just with restructuring, we could probably double that."

Those issues could be addressed, said Royall, with managing the department's budget more efficiently.

“You can always say that the budget is a big thing in law enforcement, and it is. You never have enough money, but outside of that, I think you should restructure the sheriff’s department, making the positions more useful," he said.

Royall has law enforcement background, including many years in Forsyth County.

“I have three years in the Department of Corrections and 15 years in full-time law enforcement specializing in narcotics investigations,” he said. “I started here in Yadkin in the mid-90s, and within a couple of years after Sheriff (Michael) Cain was elected, I resigned and went to Forsyth County.

“I started under Sheriff Jack Henderson. I took a position in Iredell County. A supervisor position came open after five years in Forsyth.

“I think working outside Yadkin County gives you a broader view of law enforcement,” he said. “If you do all your fishing in a barrel, you’re only going to catch what’s in the barrel. But if you expand your experience and knowledge, I’ve learned a lot of things in the larger agencies that I believe I could use here, management style, enforcement style."

He supports keeping the county jail in downtown Yadkinville.

“Before I really started considering running for sheriff in early ’09, having worked in Yadkinville at the sheriff’s office, I always thought the jail should remain downtown,” he said. “It’s the perfect place for it to be. It’s convenient. It’s not only that. I think you need to support the county seat as much as you do looking for something with convenience.”

Royall originally filed to run for the open office prior to the primary held in May. However, he withdrew his name after several other candidates announced their intentions.

“I was the first to announce last year. I was the first to stand down when multiple candidates jumped in. I think we gave the incumbent an advantage. It obviously did,” he said.

Royall is a 1984 graduate of Starmount High School. He attended Wilkes Community College and has 18 years of full-time, state and local law enforcement experience. He also has 1,500 hours of post-BLET specialized law enforcement training.

His specialties include narcotics investigations in all local, state and federal levels. Royall also supports awareness and prevention programs to fight gangs and domestic violence, supports a separate law-fire-EMS communication system and establishment of active Community Watch Programs.

He described himself as a lifelong Republican who was born and raised in Hamptonville where he now lives.

He is married to Tammy W. Royall from Elkin, and they have three children. His parents are Bud and Vivian Royall of Hamptonville.

To contact him, e-mail jeff_royall@yahoo.com.