AUGUSTA, Ga. () – It’s been almost a year since Eugene Brantley was campaigning as a candidate for Richmond County Sheriff.

Now, he’s almost 100 days on the job. 

“I feel like we’ve made a lot of headway. We’ve started back answering alarm calls—we started with business alarms, and now we’re progressing back to residential alarms,” said Brantley.

The Sheriff recently got a $22,000 check to help with costs involved for canines at the Sheriff’s Office.

He also hired 100 new employees on his second day in office, but Brantley says he is looking to hire more. 

“We’re still short on road patrol. We’re still not fully operational with the traffic division that used to have about 27 or 28 people in traffic. However, we’ve hired about half of what we really need for crime suppression and traffic,” Brantley said.

He also got a $22,000 check to help with costs involved for canines at the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff says filling those positions could also be key to decreasing youth violence.

He says they want to reach young people as early as possible, and that’s why he’s working on building healthy relationships with Richmond County school leaders. 

“I’ve even spoken to one or two of them in relation to adopting one of the middle schools that is less fortunate. They don’t have as many male teachers in the school that work there, so that will help give the youth there not just a police presence, but a male figure throughout the schools from time to time,” Brantley added.

Anti-gun advocates like Dr. Larry Fryer say it’s also important for kids to have outlets, especially with school getting out soon. 

“I funeralized a young man, 15 years old, not too long ago. In shootouts. If we do not have programs, the kids have nowhere to go. They don’t want to sit around the house all day, they’re going to get with their friends—and some of it’s not good,” said Fryer.

“The more kids that we can keep occupied—and have these summer programs and camps—we keep them off the streets and out of harm’s way. When they’re home and get around people unsupervised, there’s no telling what they may get into,” said Brantley. “Getting them into our rec centers and community centers that we have throughout Augusta keeps them occupied.”

The Sheriff says while his deputies continue outreach efforts and getting out into the community, he believes the future for Richmond County is bright.

“The vision is for a prosperous community. A community where businesses can grow, people can walk the streets and feel safe, and enjoy the things that we have here in Augusta,” said Brantley.

Sheriff Brantley says he’s also working with downtown business owners to help reach the youth with the summer months just around the corner.