Candidates for Rockingham County sheriff—Brian Harbor, Darren Wright and other entrants—spoke at length about crime, staffing and jail safety during a county forum.

Darren Wright, a retired state highway patrol first sergeant, highlighted culture change and outside partnerships as central to his plan. "We have to free deputies up to do their job," he said, arguing that lifting restrictions and restoring a culture of active enforcement will deter criminals.

Brian Harbor emphasized pay and retention as essential to building investigative capacity. He pointed to understaffed narcotics units and said more deputies and better compensation will improve response and proactive enforcement. "You need 12 narcotic officers; we have 3," Harbor said, urging county-commission cooperation to fund positions.

On jail safety, candidates proposed improving intake screening, training staff as drug-recognition experts, using K9 units to detect contraband, and expanding mental-health and chaplaincy services. Both Harbor and Wright pledged to keep or expand faith-based detention ministries and to coordinate mental-health counselors and substance-abuse programs at intake.

All candidates framed a priority around reducing overdose deaths, addressing human trafficking and building interagency task forces. They differed on emphasis—Wright stressed operational authority and external partners; Harbor stressed pay increases, equipment and training.

The candidates sought to reassure voters they would be accountable: Wright promised not to run again if crime did not decrease during his term; Harbor emphasized that he would not bring an outside 'team' into the office and stressed local continuity.

Voters will weigh these competing approaches—pay-and-retain versus culture-and-authority—when the sheriff's race advances to the primary.