WUFT asked candidates running for office across north central Florida a series of questions about their background and plans if elected.
Below, find the answers from Wallace Kitchings, who is running to become the Columbia County Sheriff.
Why did you decide to run for this office?
For almost 31 years, I have worked in this community with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. I started as a deputy and retired after serving 7 years as the Undersheriff. During my career at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, I worked for four different Sheriffs. In December of 2022, just before Christmas, I had the opportunity to talk with the current Sheriff about gun violence which was frequently occurring in Columbia County. I voiced my concerns and his reply was “It was occurring in the city”. I responded with “You better get ahead of it because it will spread, it is not going to stay in one place”.
On February 3, 2023, my wife and I were heading home on US 90 West. We stopped at the red light at US 90 and Ridgewood Drive. While we were waiting for the light to turn green, a gun battle took place in the westbound lane. This occurred roughly between 8:30-9:00 pm. I could not see a muzzle flash, but I could see where the rounds were striking. Based on my training and experience, I could tell it was a high-powered rifle. I got my wife to the parking lot of a local business, patted her down, and made sure she was not struck or injured by the gunfire. From my experience with critical incidents in law enforcement, I know, the effect of adrenaline, a person can be shot and not be aware of their injury. I directed her to go inside the building, remain in the back, and I would come back for her.
As I started back to the scene, I noticed that a rescue unit had stopped to assist. To safeguard the paramedics, I took a defensive position until law enforcement could respond. I remained on the scene until the officers arrived. There were two other shooting incidents that night. Out of concern for my community, I called the current Sheriff who seemed unconcerned and just gave excuses.
After about a month with no further response from the Sheriff himself, I talked to
my wife about me entering the Sheriff’s race. We then met and spoke with our pastor and prayed about it. I was disturbed to see the safety of a community that I had dedicated years of my life to protect continue to deteriorate without any significant leadership from the current sheriff.
During my career, the citizens of Columbia County have invested a great deal of tax money in training me to recognize and address law enforcement problems. It would be selfish of me not to offer to address and resolve the law enforcement problems they trained me to do. To achieve a safer community, law enforcement problems must be directly and proactively addressed.
Since our event, there have been several other violent incidents in our community including a twelve-year-old child being shot while in her home. She was simply watching the television. A Columbia High football game had to be stopped and could not continue. The visiting team left and would not return to complete the game out of fear for their safety. Incidents such as these involving violent crime make it clear that change is needed at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. We must take a new direction or we may reach a point where we cannot turn it around. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result.
What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district or jurisdiction?
1. Violent Crime
2. Employee Pay and Employee Retention
3. Rebuilding a stronger relationship with the citizens we serve
Your suggested solution for the top problem:
An unsafe community does not attract industry or business. Crime affects all areas of a community. Gang violence, drive-by shootings, and retail theft cause businesses to close their doors and move away. Across this nation, companies are moving to safer locations to operate in safer communities. If a city or county has a reputation for a high incidence of crime, businesses will choose other places to build thus adversely affecting tourism and economic development. Crime adversely affects jobs, tax revenue, and the real estate market. Our local hospital seems to have problems attracting and retaining highly specialized medical services. To combat these situations, a Sheriff’s Office, as the lead law enforcement agency in the county, must establish a proactive approach to addressing crime. Just being reactive is not working.
To get ahead of crime, it is necessary to increase patrol with the aid of Investigative Units that target criminal activities and then enforce existing laws. We have many experienced senior deputies who know how to solve these issues, they just need positive leadership and support. These are proven methods for reducing crime. It is like preventive maintenance on a vehicle, every so often, the oil needs to be changed.
As a working Sheriff, I will lead by example by addressing the crimes that are occurring daily and focus efforts on identifying the violators. The mere presence of law enforcement officers in an area will help...but that is not enough. Historically, law enforcement agencies were primarily “Reactive” to crime. They would wait for a call, go to a crime scene, and write a report. By this time, the violator was long gone. Today most agencies try to become “Proactive” and attempt to outsmart the criminal and have achieved marginal success.
Your suggested solution for problem two:
Historically Columbia County Sheriff’s Office has enjoyed a reputation of being a professional agency and a leader in local law enforcement. However, Deputies, Detention Officers, and Employees will tend to leave an agency that does not recognize and appreciate individual effort and professionalism. During the past 8 years, our Sheriff’s Office has lost approximately 225 employees (Information obtained from CCSO by Public Records Request). An agency that consistently operates understaffed cannot provide the services expected by its citizens (A Law Enforcement Officer has to undergo a minimum of 14 weeks of field training, by the time you get one fully trained someone is leaving). Columbia County has the largest population in the Third Judicial Circuit. Yet, Columbia County’s deputies start at $45,000. Suwannee County, a bordering county whose population is quite a bit less starts their deputies at $47,500 and more importantly, Lafayette County, the smallest county in the Circuit with roughly 9,500 residents starts their Deputies at $49,000. To maintain quality personnel, the salary and benefits offered must be fair and competitive with surrounding counties. An organization is only as good as its employees. With generational changes, salary is one of the most prominent issues. However, competitive wages are only the first step. A quality work environment within any agency will change its image and attract quality individuals who want to become members and stay.
Your suggested solution for problem three:
Deputies need to be interacting with citizens. This builds trust and confidence. It also increases information of criminal activity aiding in solving crime. Citizens want to know their Deputies. We will encourage feedback from citizens by establishing an environment for confidential reporting of suspicious activities in a neighborhood. We will encourage deputies to initiate these contacts with citizens to establish the networks for the exchange of information. I know this will not be easy because first of all, the citizens must have confidence that if they make the effort to provide information something will be done. This is just basic law enforcement 101. It should be noted that the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office does not belong to the Sheriff, it belongs to the citizens of Columbia County.
If elected, what is the first part of your agenda you intend to accomplish?
In my initial days in office, I will perform a comprehensive financial audit to identify and eliminate any questionable transactions. This will allow us to evaluate the audit to see if the budget will be able to fund additional benefits for the Sheriff’s Office employees. Additionally, I will evaluate the entire agency to understand our current situation. The findings from these assessments will shape the course of my next actions.
What else should voters know about you and your candidacy?
I stayed and served the Citizens of Columbia County my entire career. I wanted to be active and involved in helping to maintain a safe community. I progressed through the ranks working as a Patrol Deputy, Patrol Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain, supervised and served on the Special Teams (K-9, SWAT, Dive, Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force), and Undersheriff. I worked with other Counties, State, and Federal Agencies and by doing so I gained valuable knowledge, experience, and formed esteemed working relationships. This aided me in helping serve my community and solve many issues. I learned to be accountable, not blaming or assigning blame to others, along with mentoring and training Deputies to be their personable best. I have been willing to listen to citizens and try to assist them with their problems. While maintaining integrity throughout the entire process.