BAMBERG -- The upcoming election for Bamberg County sheriff will feature two candidates who say they respect each other.

Incumbent J. Edward Darnell, who is currently serving his seventh term as sheriff, will be challenged by Douglas Stokes of Bamberg, the current chief of campus security at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College.

Stokes and Darnell, both veterans of the Army National Guard, served together in the Bamberg unit.

"Ed Darnell was my platoon sergeant in the Guard, and I do have a lot of respect for him," Stokes said.

Noted Darnell, "We were in the National Guard together, and I know him well and welcome him when he runs for sheriff in March. The office is open to anyone to run for it, and if he meets all of the qualifications, then I welcome him."

Filing for the office will begin March 17, with the primaries slated for June and the General Election set in November. However, the week before Thanksgiving, Stokes announced his intention to enter the sheriff's race. "It has been one of my life goals to be the Bamberg County sheriff," Stokes said in a recent interview. "I want the opportunity to work with and for the community here."

In a press release, Stokes noted, "For the last decade, I have seriously thought about becoming a candidate … I want to use my training to serve the Bamberg County community by building trust and confidence and being responsive to the needs of the community."

A degree in criminal justice, whether it be an associate's or a bachelor's degree, is required in order to qualify for the sheriff's race. If a potential candidate possesses a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, the requirement for street experience is lowered from the required three years experience level to two years. However, the candidate must hold the required degree in addition to law enforcement experience just to enter the race.

Stokes, in addition to holding an associate's and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Voorhees College, points out that he has nearly 14 years of experience as chief of security at OCtech and 22 years of military experience, having served as a sergeant first class in the National Guard.

"I am currently retired form the Guard," Stokes said, "but I believe I can be an asset to the community because I feel that a military background and law enforcement run parallel to one another. I feel that with my background, I can go in there and offer a different attitude."

Stokes notes that he holds South Carolina state constable credentials and that he is a Homeland Security veteran.

He said he will "treat the community with dignity and a display of committed attitude. I want to make some changes, and I feel that the time is definitely good for me."

Stokes said he has attended various seminars, including a Sheriff's Association workshop in Columbia, a county-focused gang seminar, and has begun meeting with community members, going door to door to "get an idea what the people need and expect."

Among his goals if elected is increased training for local law enforcement agencies and creation of a law enforcement council that would meet on a quarterly basis to establish relations between agencies and clarify goals. However, he said his "main platform" is to concentrate on county schools and the use of local resources to increase the level of security in schools.

"We have two colleges, a Job Corps center, two public school districts and a private school," Stokes said. "I believe that they will all benefit from my extensive training in campus security."

J. Edward Darnell, who has been in law enforcement for 36 years, was appointed sheriff in April 1978 by Gov. Jim Hodges and is the longest serving sheriff in the history of Bamberg County and the third senior serving sheriff in the state.

Prior to becoming sheriff, Darnell was with the Denmark Police Department from 1972 to 1978, serving as assistant chief of police while there.

He served as president of the S.C. Sheriffs' Association in 1986 and was named South Carolina Sheriff of the Year in 2001.

Darnell graduated from Denmark public schools and attended the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy and the National Sheriffs' Institute in Quantico, Va.

He has completed a number of ce.jpgications including advanced hostage negotiation; law management; special case management, including situational training for domestic abuse and the handling of mental patients.

"I have had some people asking if I intended to run for sheriff again, and I just say that Ed Darnell is running," he said. "I have been running all the time."

The year 2007 was a difficult one for him, he said, having lost his wife, Betty Ruth, to cancer. His four-year-old great-granddaughter was killed in a go-cart accident, and his longtime chief deputy, Charles Grimes, passed away.

"This past year has not been good for me. But my doctors say I am fit as a fiddle, and I am just committed to continuing as sheriff to do everything I can to keep Bamberg County safe," Darnell said, adding, "I have been to the mountaintop, and I am back in the valley now."

T&D Correspondent Larkin Hiott can be reached by e-mail at larkinhiott@hotmail.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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