The Democratic Party has its first candidate for Newton County Sheriff after Lt. Ezell Brown officially announced his intentions to run for the soon to be vacated position.

Running under the slogan "What can Brown do you for you?" the 34-year law enforcement veteran sees a bright future for the county.

"Recently, I looked back over some of my case files accumulated over the past 29 years with the Newton County Sheriff's Office," Brown said. "When I joined the department in 1978, I spent most of my days doing routine patrol and working burglaries. When I moved from patrol to investigations, I gave up routine patrols and expanded my focus to include a small number of crimes against persons. Today, as I consider the platforms for my campaign, everything seems to come down to a war against the big three: drugs, sex and violence."

Brown contends that the war on drugs has not been lost and that a retooled department ready of the 21st Century can and will make a difference. This includes a well trained, competitively compensated work force ready to work cooperatively in an aggressive, full-service sheriff's office.

Community involvement is also a key point of Brown who said law enforcement's allies should include educational, health and human services, and the religious community.

Brown began his career as a patrolman with the Covington Police Department before moving to the NCSO in March 1978. In the nearly 30 years that followed, Brown has worked in a variety of roles within the department including time as the supervisor of the night shift at the Newton County Jail and as an investigator in the Criminal Investigations Division.

He has also distinguished himself as the first person in the county to be dually-certified as a law enforcement and arson investigator. Recently Brown was tasked with managing sex offender activity in the county.

Though he has had many offers, Brown has turned down numerous career opportunities outside of Newton County because of his love for the community and its residents.

In 1996, Brown unsuccessfully ran for sheriff against Joe Nicholas. After Nicholas victory, Brown's campaign said he made two promises to himself the citizens of the county. He pledged both his support for Nichols as long as he ran for office and that when the time was right, he would run once again.

For more information about Brown and his campaign, please call (678) 507-6460 or visit his Web site www.ezellbrownforsheriff.com.