Richard Blevins, a former officer for the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, announced his intentions to run for sheriff of Hall County.

If elected, Blevins said one of his primary focuses will be to alter the department's budget.

"I would like to trim the budget at the top and redistribute those funds toward the line officers and be able to help, maybe be able to curb some of the problems they're currently looking at with furloughs and things of that nature," Blevins said.

He said many administrative and command staff positions could be consolidated in order distribute funds to areas he believes are of higher concern.

Blevins also said he intends to re-evaluate the management of the Hall County Jail.

Aside from his service as a Forsyth County deputy, Blevins also worked as a corrections officer at Hays State Prison in Trion and currently works as an officer at Northeast Georgia Medical Center.

He said his "diverse background in law enforcement" qualifies him for sheriff.

"I have quite a diverse background of training, supervision and management, and I think all those things are essential to running a sheriff's office, maintaining a reasonable budget and also keeping the morale up amongst the deputies," he said.

Blevins began his career at Hays State Prison in 1997, where he managed prisoners, trained and supervised employees and dealt with human resource matters.

After leaving his position at the prison, Blevins completed training at the police academy and began working with the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office where he served as a field training officer and crime scene technician.

In 2006, he left his job at the sheriff's office to pursue other business interests and spend more time with his children.

Blevins earned his associate's degree at Floyd College — renamed Georgia Highlands College in 2005.

Blevins said he is also a licensed minister and a member of the National Rifle Association.

He is the fifth person to announce candidacy for sheriff. Others are Jon P. Strickland, formerly of the Gainesville Police Department and Georgia State Patrol, Col. Jeff Strickland, chief deputy of the Hall County Sheriff's Office, Rickey Tumlin, a 32-year veteran of the sheriff's office, and Chad Cobb, who formerly worked in Hart County law enforcement for a couple of years.