2020 Jasper County sheriff candidates want to reduce violent crime, gain citizen trust
For the second time in four years, Sheriff Chris Malphrus and Donald Hipp will face off in the race to be Jasper County sheriff.
But there’s a difference this time.
In the 2016 race, Malphrus defeated Hipp 45% to 33% in the November general election after Hipp ran as an Independent when Malphrus won the Democratic primary runoff.
This June, both men will be on the primary ballot as Democrats, something Hipp says will improve his chances to win.
The Sheriff’s Office is responsible for law enforcement on the county level. In addition to working closely with the Hardeeville and Ridgeland police departments, the Sheriff’s Office enforces all local, state, and federal laws. The sheriff is paid $81,637.25 annually.
No candidates have filed as a Republican for the sheriff’s post, the winner of the June primary will be unopposed in the Nov. 3 general election unless someone petitions to run as an Independent.
The candidates
Both candidates have two decades of law enforcement experience in Jasper County.
Malphrus, 41, has 20 years of law enforcement experience. In the 17 years leading up to his term as sheriff, he worked as an officer at the Jasper County Detention Center. He later worked as a K9 officer supervisor over the interstate division and as a corporal over patrol with the Ridgeland Police Department.
Hipp, 51, worked at the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office for 25 years as a lieutenant, patrol supervisor, detention officer, and major before becoming an investigator at the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office in 2017.
The issues
Since Malphrus took office, crimes rates throughout the county have decreased while the rates at which such crimes are solved have increased, he said. For example, from 2017 to 2018, homicide rates decreased by 42% and burglary rates dropped by 33%, according to his campaign website. The total number of narcotics arrests increased by 2,147%, the website says.
“My first priority was getting control of the rising violent crime,” he said. “We had to hit the ground running and fully enforce.”
He said the department has also worked to become more transparent and visible, including creating a Facebook page and sending out Nixle alerts.
“It’s very important we keep the citizens aware of what’s going on in the moment when we can,” he said.
Malphrus also helped organize the newly formed Jasper County Crime Task Force, which includes representatives from the Sheriff’s Office, the Ridgeland and Hardeeville police departments, and the Coroner’s Office. The task force is focusing on recent drug overdose death investigations, county-wide drug investigations, and high visibility proactive policing.
Hipp agreed that it’s the Sheriff’s Office’s responsibility to be more proactive about drug abuse and violent crimes in the county, including “everything from armed robberies to homicides.”
But he argues not enough is being done.
“We need to be more proactive,” he said. “It’s making more arrests along with following through with prosecution. You can put anyone in jail but prosecution is what matters - not put somebody in jail and then they get out from lack of evidence or investigation into the case.”
Hipp says his experience at the Solicitor’s Office has taught him what’s needed to “move a case forward.”
He also wants to put “more men on the streets” and will push for more educational and outreach programs, especially for the youth but also for older residents.
He also said he’d be transparent and accessible with an “open door policy” for both the deputies and citizens.
“I want to make sure the citizens are in a place where they feel safe,” Hipp said. “The people here need to know they have a voice and that we need to work together and not against one another.”
Malphrus says the Sheriff’s Office has been extremely proactive since his term began and is gaining momentum with the task force.
“The numbers don’t lie,” he said. “We have worked so hard day in and day out since the beginning.”
Malphrus said he wouldn’t necessarily change anything he did during his first term. But he wishes he had done some things sooner, including community policing such as hosting events to get more face time with citizens.
He said there’s been a turning point in the last year and a half on that front, and that residents now trust the department enough to call in to help investigations.
“We’ve come so far in my first term with decreased crime rates, better transparency, and more deputies on the street,” Malphrus said. Malphrus said he’s hired at least 50% of the department’s current 42 full-time deputies. He said he’d also hired, two part-time and five reserve deputies.
The June 9 primary
Only Democrats are on the ballot for the coroner and sheriff’s offices and the Pocotaligo Township seat on the Jasper County Council, meaning the primary winner will likely be unopposed in the November election.
Two Democratic candidates have filed for an at-large County Council seat. Whoever wins that primary will face the Republican candidate in the November election.
The current clerk of court and County Council member representing the Hardeeville Township seat are both unopposed in the primary and November election.
Although filing is closed for the elections, a candidate can still petition to be added to the November ballot as an Independent. To do that, a candidate will need signatures from 5% of the registered voters in Jasper County.
Who’s running?
▪ Coroner Martin Sauls III, a Democrat, faces two challengers, Willie Patrick Aiken III and Jeremiah E Vaigneur II.
▪ Sheriff Chris Malphrus faces challenger Donald Hipp in the Democratic primary.
▪ The clerk of court, Margaret Bostick, is unchallenged.
▪ County Council member Tom Johnson, a former chairman, is running for reelection to the at-large seat in the Democratic primary against challenger Samuel Gregory. The winner faces Republican John Kemp in November.
▪ County Council Chairman Henry Etheridge is running for reelection to the Pocotaligo Township seat in the Democratic primary. He is challenged by Alvin Abby Adkins. No Republican has filed to run in the Nov. 3 general election.
▪ County Council member Barbara B. Clark, a Democrat, is running for reelection to the Hardeeville Township seat. She is unopposed.
Primary preview in The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette:
Sunday: S.C. House District 118: Herbkersman vs. Covert
Monday: S.C. House District 123: Bradley vs. Hartman
Tuesday: Beaufort County coroner, Jasper County coroner
Wednesday: Jasper County sheriff
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
