Jim Matthews Formally Announces For Kershaw County Sheriff
November 20, 2009
KERSHAW COUNTY, SC – Jim Matthews, who has been on the front lines of crime fighting for more than 30 years, today officially announced his candidacy for Kershaw County Sheriff with a vow to aggressively crack down on drugs, gangs, and break-ins. Matthews announced his formal announcement online with a 3-minute video posted on YouTube and his campaign website.
Matthews, a Republican who has lived in Kershaw County since 2003, has worked in law enforcement at every level during his career.
He began in the Midlands, serving as a narcotics officer with the Richland and Lexington County Sheriff’s Office and the Columbia Police Department. From there, he moved on to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), leading the heroin-eradication efforts in the jungles of northern Thailand, a violent crimes task force in Atlanta and a multi-agency task force in South Carolina which covered 16 counties, including Kershaw. These operations targeted high-level drug dealers, gangs and drug-related homicides.
That background, Matthews said, more than prepares him for the responsibilities of Sheriff.
I know what it takes to protect our community because I’ve spent my entire life fighting for the safety of citizens, children, and families, he explained. I think the people of Kershaw County want a Sheriff with the experience and commitment to help take back our streets, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.
Matthews said he will focus initially on three key areas of concern: drugs, gang activity, and break-ins and thefts.
Drugs: He believes Kershaw County needs an updated and stronger approach to combat dealers. Arresting small-time street dealers won’t stop our drug problem, he said. We must have a multi-agency drug task force to target high-level dealers.
Gangs: Matthews proposed a two-pronged approach. First, he will work with the community – including churches, recreation departments, and schools – to keep young people out of gangs. And second, he will come down hard on those who are in gangs. I will have absolutely no tolerance for gangs and the threats they pose to our safety and quality of life, he said.
Break-ins: While he believes a crackdown on drugs will reduce the incidence of break-ins, Matthews said he will not stop there. His plan includes restructuring the Sheriff’s Department to put more deputies on the streets, in more places than ever, throughout the county.
The bottom line, of his proposals, he continued, is that if you’re a drug dealer, or a gang member, or a thief, my Sheriff’s Department is going to find you. We’re going to arrest you. We’re going to put you away. And we’re going to use everything at our disposal – manpower, technology, untapped state and federal resources – to make it happen.
In addition to his work as a special agent and agent-in-charge with the DEA, Matthews led an elite counter-narcotics unit against heroin traffickers in Thailand and has done undercover work throughout the United States, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Central America.
He also served as an instructor at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., and at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga. Additionally, Matthews has received training in multiple specialties, including tactical firearms, airport and highway drug interdictions, financial investigations, and conspiracy investigations.
A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Jim is married to Heather Hoopes-Matthews. He has three children and is a member of the First Baptist Church of Camden.
