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J.W. "Jay" Bryan
BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER
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WARM SPRINGS - J.W. "Jay" Bryan was five years old when his father went into law enforcement, and 16 when his father became sheriff in Bath County. After 22 years in law enforcement, Bryan is seeking the same office his father held until 12 years ago.
Bryan feels he has gained the trust of Bath citizens and has a reputation for being "dedicated, honest and fair to everyone I deal with."
The citizens of Bath "are going to see me out in the community ... I'm not going to be a Monday through Friday, 9-5 sheriff," Bryan said. Though he has worked in the sheriff's office for 22 years and worked closely with his father and outgoing sheriff Tommy Black, Bryan says he has his own ideas for running the department.
He plans to operate a "proactive sheriff's office" where he and his deputies are "going to enforce the laws equally and fair to everyone." This includes bringing radar back into use by deputies. "Radar turns out to be a good tool in drug enforcement," said Bryan.
In addition, Bryan would like to add a K-9 unit to the department. He doesn't expect to need additional personnel to handle the drug dog. In fact, Bryan feels the department has adequate personnel now, though he thinks an investigator would be nice to have, at times, to handle cases that otherwise tie down a road deputy.
Under Bryan's administration, all deputies, including the chief deputy, will be working shifts, he said. And Bryan doesn't plan to exclude himself from shift work. "As sheriff I will be out and about in every community, even outlying areas. I will cover shifts," he said.
Deputies can handle some vehicle accidents, said Bryan, although accident investigation is primarily the job of the state police. Currently, deputies assist with accident scenes but if he's elected, Bryan said deputies would handle single-vehicle accidents with no personal injury to better improve response times.
Cutting the department budget when revenue is tight is difficult, said Bryan. He is concerned rising fuel costs will put a crunch on the department no matter what the level of funding. Like other candidates, Bryan is aware the department receives a significant portion of its budget from the state and a portion from county coffers.
As sheriff, Bryan plans to apply for grants to add programs and improve preparedness. He would like to train a quick reaction team within the department. "We need to try to be the best prepared- God forbid, something should happen in the schools," said Bryan. The deputies should be trained in all schools and have in mind how each building is laid out.
Bryan feels it is "crucial for the sheriff 's office to have good communications." He would like to have a good working relationship with county residents. "I would like to get more information out to the citizens," said Bryan.
In turn, he wants the public to feel comfortable calling the department when they see something. An anonymous tip line has been in place for awhile, he said, and he plans to continue having the phone line available, if elected.
"I think it is great deputies want to be involved with kids," Bryan said about department personnel coaching. He said he is willing to work with deputies who volunteer in the county coaching or in other activities to adjust schedules or allow vacation time to be used as long as doing so does not impact coverage of shifts.
While supportive of outside activities, Bryan says being a deputy is "primary" for all deputies. "They cannot over extend themselves," he said. And on or off the job, when a deputy sees something illegal being done, "they must enforce the law fairly to everyone."
"A lot of our decisions have to be made quickly," Bryan said. There are always different opinions on how something could have been done. Bryan likes to spend the extra time necessary to negotiate through problems and when possible "solve conflicts on the scene."
He points out he has been around law enforcement most of his life. Working with his father and Black, he has witnessed just how hard the behind the scenes responsibilities can be.
"Being sheriff requires a great deal more than just being an officer in law enforcement. I believe I have the knowledge and ability to carry out the job," he said.
About the
candidate
¦ J.W. "Jay" Bryan, 43 ¦ 18 years as deputy Bath County. ¦ Graduated BCHS, 1983. ¦ Resident of Hot Springs. ¦ Member Lifeline Ministries, board of directors, Hot Springs Volunteer Fire Department, president Warm Springs Mountain Hunt Club, NRA.
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