It has been decades — since the 1970s, in fact — since someone other than Ricky Banks has been sheriff of Leflore County.
With Banks retiring at the end of his current term, two men are hoping to succeed him.
One is the Democratic candidate who cruised to victory in the August primary — James Payne Sr., a criminal investigator with the Fourth Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
The other is Byron O’Bryant, a captain with the Greenwood Police Department who has worked for the department for 31 years. O’Bryant is running as an independent.
The position of sheriff pays $85,000 per year.
Payne, who has received Banks’ endorsement, said he is ready to take on the position.
“From my perspective, why I would be the better person for sheriff is I’ve had the training and I continue to go to training,” he said.
A former Greenwood police officer and Leflore County sheriff’s deputy, Payne, 63, has been a criminal investigator for 17 years.
“I’ve worked the streets. I’ve worked the courtroom,” he said. “Now I’m working the district attorney’s office.”
Payne said he has received instruction on addressing domestic violence, cybercrime, gang investigations and crime scenes.
He wants to create a multi-agency task force to handle the wave of gun violence and drug dealing in Leflore County.
That task force, he said, would be an ongoing partnership responsible for sweeping the county for guns and drugs.
O’Bryant, 55, said the relationship between law enforcement and the community has deteriorated.
“We need to have a working relationship with the community and with other law enforcement agencies,” he said. “You’ve got to have a working relationship with the public to be able to solve these crimes, and I don’t see that right now like it used to be 20 years ago. They don’t have trust in law enforcement.
“We’ve got to build that trust back up with the community.”
He describes his responsibility in the Greenwood Police Department as “logistics,” including handling information technology, inventory and the department’s fleet of vehicles.
He said he has considered running for sheriff for nearly 15 years and now believes he has the experience necessary to handle the job.
He said addressing drug dealing is a key factor in preventing the waves of gun violence that have plagued Leflore County.
“What that leads to is violence,” he said. “First, it’s going to lead to theft because they’ve got to be able to support the habit. That has a lot to do with your violent crime and your gangs and stuff. It’s all interacting with each other.”
O’Bryant feels he has a strong connection with the community. “I can work with everybody. I have a relationship with the people. Every person I’ve ever encountered, I can’t think of any enemies I’ve ever had.”
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
