This 20-year department veteran is first to enter Beaufort County sheriff’s race
Doug Seifert, a 20-year veteran of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, is the first candidate to enter the race for the county’s top law enforcement leader after longtime Sheriff P.J. Tanner announced he would not seek reelection.
Seifert, a Hilton Head Republican, filed to run just two minutes after the candidate filing period opened Monday, quickly stepping into what became an open race after Tanner’s announcement last week that he was stepping down after nearly three decades leading the county’s police force.
Per department policy, Seifert formally resigned from his role with the sheriff’s office before submitting the candidate paperwork, he said.
Seifert started with the department in 2006, working first in enforcement for several years before moving to investigations, he told The Island Packet. Most recently, he was promoted to Lieutenant of the department’s southern enforcement branch. He started his career in politics working as a town councilman in North Bend, Ohio.
Becoming a sheriff, he said, has always been his ultimate goal.
Doug Seifert’s plans if elected
If elected, Seifert said he would continue pushing for higher salaries to attract a larger pool of qualified deputies to fill the department’s vacant positions. He also wants to take a more proactive approach to youth violence and strengthen the department’s traffic and drug enforcement efforts.
He described the department under Sheriff Tanner’s tenure as a “well-oiled machine,” but added that “change is always good” to bring new ideas to the table. Ultimately though, he said, “when you’re all focusing on the mission... that’s all that matters.”
Seifert declined to elaborate on how his political affiliation could factor into his policy decisions if elected, but said he would address that question in the future.
So far, Seifert is the only candidate running for the position. The two-week filing period for candidates lasts from March 16 to 30.
Tanner said during a Monday press conference that he intends to make an endorsement, but will wait until after the candidate filing period closes.
