Murray sheriff candidate: Ken Smith

By Kim Sloan

Ken Smith says if the Murray County Jail becomes overrun with illegal aliens, tents may be the answer.

“If we get so many illegals, we will have to house them in a fenced-in area with barbed wire,” said Smith. “You have to have their heads dry, and food and water and cable TV, which is a stipulation of the federal government.” Smith later said he was told wrong by an adviser and misspoke about cable TV being a requirement for inmates.

Sheriffs in Colorado and Arkansas have set up tent jails, Smith said.

Smith, a political newcomer, is running for the Republican nomination for Murray County sheriff against Benny Davenport. The winner will face Democratic incumbent Howard Ensley in November.

Having worked in private security, Smith joined the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office in 1975 as a patrolman. He also worked for the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office and the Bogart Police Department as a patrolman, he said.

Smith worked for the Murray County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy for five to six months.

In late 2007, Smith decided to run for sheriff and renewed his certification with the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. The certification is required for all law enforcement officers in the state. He also reinstated his private detective’s license.

Smith said illegal aliens are a growing problem in Murray County.

“We have too many Americans already taking part in crimes and we need to put a stop to all of them,” Smith said. “We don’t need these illegals helping us commit crimes.”

Smith said part of the problem is companies hiring illegals.

“We have probably 25 or 30 carpet mills and each of them are loaded down with illegals,” Smith said. “I am in touch with many, many people who work in these carpet mills and they say some tried to buy legal identification cards. And it takes about 90 seconds to tell if a person is here legally. If you run them in the computer that they have access to, that will tell them if the Social Security card is valid. But they want to use the illegals because it saves them millions of dollars a year. It’s every American’s problem. It’s a drain on the people of America. We intend to put a stop to them.”

Smith said once it is proven that someone is illegal, “We can house them for the federal government and receive $109 a day.”

Gangs are also becoming a problem in the county, he said.

“Before it gets to where things are so bad, we need to nip it in the bud,” Smith said. “Education for young people is very important and will deter them from gangs.”

With high gas prices, Smith realizes balancing the budget may be a problem. He is proposing adding two motorcycles to the sheriff’s fleet that will be on the road for nine months out of the year. Patrol cars will park at area fire stations to wait for calls.

“Murray County will save an abundance on fuel,” Smith said. “We are going to have to cut back.”

Smith said he didn’t know how much the budget is for the sheriff’s office. The current budget is $1.469 million, and the jail’s budget is $1.72 million. The sheriff is paid $94,218 a year and oversees 60 employees.

Drugs are another problem in the county, Smith said. He wants to create a drug task force.

“We have federal and state grants that will give us the equipment to get started, then we can operate off seized money and vehicles,” Smith said.

A native of Copperhill, Tenn., Smith’s family moved to North Georgia when he was 3. He said he has had a construction business for 36 years.

Smith has been married to his wife, Pat, for 19 years. The Smiths have six children and two of the children are at home. His daughter, Keisha, 11, was adopted when she was three months old. The Smiths are also raising their grandson, Cameron Godfrey, who graduated this year from Canaanland Christian Academy. The Smiths are members of Smyrna Baptist Church in Chatsworth. His grown children are Felicia, Stephanie, Burt, Jason and Shane.

Smith said he hopes to bring fire and zeal to the sheriff’s office.

“New ideas are what we need,” he said. “We need people who have a fire.”