Burns Carroll County Sheriff Tony Burns announced Monday he will seek a second term as the county’s chief law enforcement officer. Burns said he wants to build on the successes he has achieved since he took office in 2007 and he also wants the time needed to complete other projects.

“It has taken longer than I thought to do some of the things I wanted to get done in my first term,” he said Monday. “I am in the process of re-writing our operating procedures,” he said. “I completed the law enforcement policies but still have jail policies to do.”

“I knew it all needed to be done when I was first elected,” the 22-year veteran county police officer continued. “But I’ve had a lot of irons in the fire since then.”

Burns said that one of those “irons” was the significant budget reductions to the department required in 2008. He said that time in history was a particularly challenging one in his career, both professionally and personally.

“Working through the budget cuts in 2008 was certainly the hardest year in my history with the department,” Burns said. “I lost sleep trying to figure out how to keep staff morale up and keep them challenged and working as a team. I didn’t spend a lot of time with my family then either.”

“I learned that I don’t want to go there again,” he added.

Burns counts the positive working partnership with the community he has developed in the past three years as one of the most positive projects he has accomplished. He said he speaks to community groups about various topics such as identity theft and he has initiated five active Neighborhood Watch programs throughout the county.

“Given the reduction of deputies on the roads, we really need the citizens’ eyes and ears in the community,” he said.

Burns said he wants to add the Delphi, Flora and Yeoman communities to those that participate in the program if he serves a second term.

Burns said he vowed to make the jail meals program more manageable when first elected, which he has accomplished.

“The total cost to the county for jail meals has dropped from roughly $71,000 to less than $35,000,” Burns said. “We’ve looked forward and never looked back.”

The sheriff said if re-elected, a new jail is not on his planning board for his second term. He said he has been able to replace the current building’s heating and air conditioning equipment, which “solved a lot of maintenance issues” for the department. He said the building received a “facelift” inside and out using a lot of inmate labor.

Additionally, Burns said he enjoys a good working relationship with the courts. He said he has worked in unison with the judges to control jail population. A credit card payment plan was instituted for cash bonds. Burns explained this measure helps to move inmates through the jail population with expediency. Inmates can now post bond at any time of the day or night, which also serves to create jail space for newer inmates.

Burns said if elected for a second term, he will work closely with the county council to creatively find additional funding for more deputies, if possible. He said there was no deputy dedicated to investigations since the 2008 budget reductions. Burns said he has demonstrated that he is a good administrator and able to control spending, which he believes builds trust with council members.

Sheriff Burns said that although the county council eliminated funding to maintain both drug dogs, they still provide the vehicles for them. He has made the program survive with donations from community members and businesses. He said he has a good working rapport with local businesses which he expects will continue to grow stronger in the future if re-elected.

Burns said another goal for his second term is to initiate a county animal control program.

“We are still receiving regular calls about animal control and strays,” he said. “I think a workable program can be developed to get the service back in the county.”

The sheriff said he enjoys his public service role in the community, which he would continue.

“I love being a public servant,” he said. “My door is always open. If I’m there, anyone can come in and talk with me. I will make time.”

“I understand I can’t fix everybody’s problems but I can do what the law allows,” Burns said in conclusion. “It’s humbling to be elected as sheriff. I would be honored to serve another four years.”