Chris Green

Editor’s Note: This is one in a series of profiles stories on candidates running in the March primaries.

Incumbent Larry Smith faces opponent Chris Green for the third time to win the Smith County Sheriff Republican candidacy in the March primary.

Sheriff Smith has nearly five decades of law enforcement experience. Smith was appointed sheriff in January 2013 and has held the position since.

He hopes to continue his work as sheriff for a fourth term.

His career started 1976 as a Gregg County Sheriff’s Office patrol officer. He advanced to the Criminal Investigation Division and held roles as lieutenant and captain. In 1987, he started with the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration, and in 1989 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives until 2011.

The biggest challenge with the office is getting a hold on jail overcrowding and officer retention. Staff vacancies caused remaining staff to take on overtime, leading to burnout and turnover.

When the pandemic hit, the inmate population increased, and there weren’t enough correction officers to maintain jail compliance.

“We’re almost down to the single digits on openings in the jail,” Smith said. “We’ve got to get over the gap to get the personnel back.”

Smith County Sheriff’s Office is the first in Texas to implement a jail commission training program for high school students. Before graduation, students can take the jail commission test and start working at the jail.

Smith emphasizes the importance of addressing mental health issues in inmates.

He said implementing mental health restoration services in jail would reduce wait times for competency restoration. He is a nonvoting member of Andrews Center, the local mental health authorities board, and within the last year, an Andrews Center office was placed within the jail.

Smith said he’s had a great career, but he’s not yet finished. He maintains his passion for law enforcement, even after 40 years.

Despite his mother’s insistence, Smith’s heart was set on law enforcement, and he turned down an appointment at West Point Military Academy. He attended Kilgore College and Texas Eastern University, now UT Tyler, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Smith was born in Big Sandy and graduated from New Diana High School. As an adolescent, he wanted to go into law enforcement. He said ride-a-longs in high school with late Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Louie English of Gilmer solidified it for him.

“It’s always appealed to me, and I enjoy working with people,” Smith said. “I’ve worked with the bad people, the good people and all kinds of people in law enforcement, and I’ve been able to help both sides.”

In 2010, he was approached by the district attorney to run for sheriff, which he initially declined but eventually decided to run after identifying a lack of leadership in the office.

Upon entering the office in 2013, he said, “It was not in the best of circumstances,” and he had “cleaning up to do.” He made immediate changes to uphold its integrity, including arresting and terminating deputies engaged in illegal activities.

With time and diligence, Smith said he’s employed qualified, credible and integral staff at the office.

Smith said he’s motivated to continue serving.

“If the people don’t want me, they’ll let me know,” Smith said. “And if I’m ready to go home, I’ll go to the house, but I’m not at that point yet.”

A former game warden, Green is running for sheriff to protect rural Smith County from drug trafficking, sex trafficking and unconstitutional orders from the federal and state governments.

Green has lived in Smith County for three decades. Green has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Dallas Baptist University and 30 years of law enforcement experience, 20 spent as an active game warden and 10 as a special game warden reserve.

He is also a small business owner.

Green lost to Smith twice in 2012 and 2016 but said he’s not finished.

“I tried to stay out of this thing,” Green said. “I got back into it because we have a lot of issues.”

If elected, during his first 90 days, he’d prioritize officer retention communications systems, utilizing reserve deputies, eliminating staff redundancies, reducing at-fault fleet accidents, improving response to mental health cases and saving taxpayers’ money.

Law enforcement is the most expensive cost to taxpayers, he said.

His solution is to cut wasteful management by assessing redundancies to reduce cost and hold law enforcement officers to a higher safety standard to lower insurance premiums. He will also work to house federal inmates and provide a central detention center for illegal immigrants.

Another issue Green will address is streamlining unneeded administrative positions.

Green will develop new strategies to find solutions, including shifting from two 12-hour shifts to three 8-hour shifts and communicating with employees about their needs.

“This is no secret. Our jails are understaffed. This costs the county money and threatens the welfare of jail staff and inmates,” Green said. “Overcrowded and understaffed jails are dangerous to everyone within those walls.”

He will find non-incarceration options for mental-health patients and non-violent offenders and examine the cost of release with monitoring technology and reducing jail crowding.

He’s passionate about running for this office to help people and make a difference in the community but he highlights the significance of rural constituents and older people.

“That’s who needs to help most,” Green said.

Green wants to guide young peace officers to become professionals in law enforcement and identifying and understanding special populations like military veterans and the intellectually disabled and ensuring the welfare of older people.

He’s focused on being prepared for unexpected events, including mass shootings and immigration, and hopes to be ready for the worst while avoiding panic. He’s concerned with the border and suggests establishing a trained posse of civilians to protect county residents during emergencies.

“As sheriff, I’m gonna be prepared, and I want my folks to be safe and secure in their home,” Green said. “We can’t protect everybody with 45 or 50 deputies. There will come a time when we’ll need a posse.”

He said his goal is to protect the folks in the county, period.

His accomplishments include Crime Scene Training, Crisis Intervention Training, Human Trafficking Training, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Instructor, Emergency Management Training and more.

He is a member of the County Peace Officers Association, Game Warden Association, Game Warden Peace Officer Association, Mayor’s roundtable concerning Lake Tyler, Meal on Wheels Board of Directors, National Rifle Association and Sheriff’s Association of Texas.

There will not be a Democratic challenger in November.

Voters can cast their ballot in the March Primary early until March 1. The last day to receive a ballot by mail is Election Day is March 5. Early voting and election day polling places can be found at the Smith County Elections website at smith-county.com/government/departments/elections.