Meet Richmond County sheriff candidate Richard Dixon
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A vote that affects anyone who lives, works, or visits Richmond County is just weeks away.
Four people are running for the job, including Independent Richard Dixon.
Every Monday, News 12 will profile a different candidate for Richmond County sheriff. This week, we sat down with Dixon.
He won’t be on May’s ballot, instead working to get signatures to earn a spot in the fall election.
“We’re going to take the door off the hinges and we’re going to be open to the public,” said Dixon.
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And he means that literally — opening up his office so he’s connected to both the public and his staff.
While Dixon is taking on the challenge of running as an Independent, a ballot box that requires 6,785 signatures to run, he prides himself on his experience at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.
He served for 17 years in both Athens and Augusta.
“I know 90% of the police officers out there. They know what kind of person I am. They know where I stand, so on day one when I walk through the door, I am going to boost morale back up in the agency,” he said.
Some of his unique takes are introducing the idea of a night court to get the judicial system unplugged, as well as the Charles B. Webster Detention Center.
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He says while filling vacancies is important in the sheriff’s office, he wants to prioritize the officers who are already here.
“When you’re raising the base salary and aren’t raising the salary of the officers who are tenured, you’re filling that gap up and the officers who have been dedicated to you are not being rewarded,” said Dixon.
In the end, he says the current state of the sheriff’s office is what’s bringing him out of retirement.
“I’ve lived here my entire life. I consider the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office my home and it’s just broken my heart to see where it’s gone, so my ion is to try and come back and to fix that,” he said.
Dixon told us on Monday that he has more than 2,000 signatures, but he still needs at least another 4,700 by July 9 to make November’s ballot.
If not, the sheriff’s office election will be decided by the Democratic primary in May.
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