GONZALES - For the Gonzales police chief runoff election, the candidates have different approaches. The incumbent wants to invest in technology that can help solve crimes, while the challenger says he wants to focus on building morale within the department and the community. Incumbent Sherman Jackson says at first, he wasn't going to seek a fifth term."I started getting a lot of phone calls. People were uneasy about having a new chief and basically, I felt that I would be turning my back on the city," he said.Retired officer Stephen Ussery says that he is well qualified to lead the department where he worked for 21 years."I would hope we would like a change in our chief of police, which I think is badly needed, and I think I'm the new face of leadership for the Gonzales Police Department," he said.Both candidates shared what the city needs from the police chief. Jackson says he wants to invest in more crime cameras in the area. So far, there are 13 throughout the city. He says he wants to work with businesses to add more. "What I've been doing is investing in technology, cutting-edge technology, to help my detectives solve crime faster. It's to send that message to a criminal, if you come here, you're going to get caught," he said.Ussery says he wants to take a more personal approach and thinks making sure officers are doing well within the department is the key to making sure they are successful on the field."I see what was missing at the police department, and taking care of those officers as well as taking care of the community is something that needs to be a top priority for chief of police," he said.The run-off election is on Dec. 7. Permalink| Comments