Campbell calls it quits after 24 years Darlington County Sheriff wants to spend more time with family

By Neil Hopwood editor Sheriff Glenn Campbell says it’s time to put away the badge and move on to other things. That may be difficult for Campbell, who has been in law enforcement for his entire adult life, the past 24 years as the elected sheriff of Darlington County. But Campbell says the time is right, and considering that he has run unopposed most election years and that two men have already pledged to run this time around (filing opened March 16 and closes March 30), it’s clear that someone will be eager to fill his shoes. But Campbell will have other things to worry about come November, such as spending more time with his family. Before announcing his decision in the media, Sheriff Campbell, 62, met with his employees about his leaving the Sheriff's Office. The office has doubled in employees since his tenure began. New equipment such as Tasers, wireless computers and drug dogs have improved the capabilities of the office, he said. Before his 24 years as sheriff, the Chesterfield native spent 14 years in the SC Highway Patrol. He was working at a service station when he decided to apply for the Highway Patrol. “I think I could have won the election—[but] I thought it was time while my health was still good to step down,” Campbell said. “The county has been good to me. Campbell is proud that he's had the same listed phone number for his entire law enforcement career. “Some people tell me I'm crazy to put my home phone number, but if you want the job, they should be able [to call you],” he said. But it also takes an understanding family, who sometimes were the ones who picked up the telephone. Campbell is married to Brenda, and they have one daughter, Glenda. “When you hear the phone ring at night you know it’s not good.” His daughter was 13 years old during his first campaign, when she walked the streets with him. Now she is about to give birth to his first grandchild. That desire to spend more time with his family is the primary reason he’s stepping down, he said. He wasn’t prepared to endorse a candidate for sheriff, but said that wasn’t out of the question for the future. Campbell knows the two men who have stated they would run for sheriff, Lamar Police Chief Charles Woodle and Darlington Police Officer Wayne Byrd (who had already filed by press time). “I wish whoever gets it the best,” Campbell said. “I just hope whoever gets it does what they can with our employees. I think we have some good employees. They've been good to me. I think I only have one who has worked for anybody else but me.” When contacted about Campbell's departure from the race, candidate Capt. Wayne Byrd of the Darlington Police Department said he was sorry to see Campbell leave the office, but conceded that it improved his own chances for election. “He would've been the hardest person to run against,” Byrd said. “Glenn has been a good sheriff for many years.” The move by Campbell effectively evens the playing field, Byrd said, because law enforcement candidates working for other agencies find it difficult to campaign for the sheriff position. Restrictions often require that candidates working for other agencies not campaign during office hours, which restricts them to after-hours and weekends. Lamar Chief Charles Woodle had not returned a message for comment by press time. There are the successes that come with being sheriff, such as the solving of difficult murders (he mentioned the murder of a college student, for example). “You want to solve them all, but there’s no way possible,” he said. “We’re still working on cases that happened before I came here.” He also regularly thinks about the unknown lady whose body was found off a local rest stop. Numerous efforts to identify her have proved fruitless. There are unfortunate events too, he said. “Your deepest sympathy goes to the families,” he said. He mentioned the case involving the release of James Jamal Williams from the Darlington County Detention Center, who went on to murder 17-year-old Meisha Samuel in Darlington. Her family has sued the county in connection with the release of Williams. Campbell also mentioned the death of William Sheffield, who was killed by a deputy after resisting arrest. The deputy was cleared of criminal wrongdoing but, again, the family sued the county. “I talked with Ms. Sheffield (William Sheffield’s mother) before she died—you just hate when those things happen,” he said. “You have to take the bad with the good. You feel for those people.”