Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 16, 1995 TAG: 9506160033
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Adkins, 40, announced his candidacy last July. Voters will have four candidates to choose from when they go to the polls in November to select a sheriff.
Jerry Olinger, a Virginia Tech police investigator, is the Democratic nominee. Republicans picked Doug Marrs, lieutenant of investigations for the Christiansburg Police Department as their candidate. And earlier this month, O.P. Ramsey, captain of law enforcement with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, announced he was running as an independent.
"I wanted to get out early to work door to door to see what the people of Montgomery County want in their next sheriff," Adkins said.
What he's heard, he said, is that citizens want more communication with the Sheriff's Office.
Toward that end, Adkins says that if he's elected, he will hold monthly meetings throughout the county so residents can talk with him one-on-one.
"I feel that our county is lacking a working relationship between the citizens and the Sheriff's Office. In order to function adequately the citizens need to have one-on-one contact with their law officers," and not just in crisis situations, Adkins said.
"I will strive to improve upon this situation by bringing law enforcement back to the neglected areas of Montgomery County."
Adkins' other goals are to place more DARE officers in the schools to educate youngsters on drug abuse and to increase Neighborhood Watch programs. He also is entertaining the idea of a children's summer camp stressing safety and DARE programs.
Adkins is a deputy for Radford Sheriff Bobby Farmer. He's worked there since 1989, gaining experience in court security, jail operations and civil process.
Before that, he was a store manager for Thriftway Supermarket. He is a graduate of the Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy in Salem and Christiansburg High School and has had business management classes at Concord College.
"I feel that my management background along with my law enforcement experience has well prepared me for all of the challenges that a sheriff will face," he said.
"You have to build a department that you're proud of and the sheriff's department personnel are proud of. A sense of pride starts at the top. If the sheriff is doing a good job, the whole department will."
Adkins lives in Christiansburg with his wife and daughter. He is a member of the Virginia State Sheriff's Association, the New River Valley Fraternal Order of Police, the Pilot Ruritan Club and the Montgomery County Moose Lodge.
by CNB