Veteran law officer Langford to face long-time incumbent

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August 22, 2012

Veteran law officer Langford to face long-time incumbent

Rachel Brown rachelbrown@daltoncitizen.com The Dalton Daily Citizen Wed Aug 22, 2012, 09:00 AM EDT

Gary Langford, a 38-year law enforcement veteran, will face incumbent Democrat Murray County Sheriff Howard Ensley in November after winning Tuesday’s Republican runoff.

Langford received 57.92 percent of the vote (1,397) to opponent Wyle Keith Pritchett’s 42.08 percent (1,015). The results are unofficial until approved by the Secretary of State’s office.

“I just would like to thank all the voters and people that supported me in the runoff,” Langford said. “Now that this is over, we will concentrate on the Nov. 6 general election.”

Pritchett did not immediately return phone calls Tuesday night.

Langford, 57, said he has worked for the Chatsworth Police Department, Murray County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol for 38 years. Pritchett, 43, is a patrol officer for the Eton Police Department and has also worked at the Resaca Police Department and Murray County Sheriff’s Office.

Both men campaigned on plans to crack down harder on drug abuse and provide more training for officers.

Langford has said that, except for situations in which he is out of town or physically can’t respond, he will be available to do the job of sheriff 24 hours a day, seven days a week if an emergency arises that needs his attention. The job is not just Monday through Friday, he said.

In the July 31 GOP primary, Langford received 49.79 percent of the vote while Pritchett garnered 34.97 percent and Ken Smith received 15.24 percent. At least 50 percent of the vote plus one is needed to avoid a runoff.

Langford said he believes everyone ran “a clean race” and hopes Pritchett’s and Smith’s supporters will help him in November.

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Veteran law officer Langford to face long-time incumbent

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