Two men, each with more than 25 years in law enforcement experience are on the ballot next month for the right to be called Sheriff in Gloucester County as incumbent Carmel Morina takes on political newcomer Chris Marrero.

Morina, former Greenwich Twp. police chief and a Democrat is at the end of his first term in office as Sheriff while Marrero, a former Pennsauken detective, is running for political officer for the first time.

Both men sat down this week with the Times editorial board.

A Mantua resident of ten years, Marrero said he's not a political person, but doesn't care for the direction the country is going.

"Personally I think that the sheriff is probably the most influential office at a county level with the purpose of securing people's rights and well being," Marrero said.

Yet he said one of the main reasons he's running is that he sees to much infringement on the part of the government.

"Sheriffs are here to protect the people," he added. "It doesn't mean they have to be a dictator."

Currently the Gloucester County Sheriff's Department handles security for the county's court system and a number of other county-owned facilities including Gloucester County College in addition to ferrying prisoners from local municipalities to jail and holding sheriff's sales of property.

Officers are also charged with covering the county's wastewater treatment plant in West Deptford. That protection is paid for by the Gloucester County Utilities Authority and is staffed around the clock.

Marrero said that's not a wise use of manpower.

"I'd put them on the street ... Why should we have people sitting there 24 hours a day?," he questioned.

The treatment plant, however, is a piece of major infrastructure that could be attractive to a potential terrorist threat and is required to be protected at all hours.

Sitting around is a concern for other officers in the department for Marrero.

"These guys just got out of the police academy and they have them manning that metal detector (in the courthouses), he stated. "This is not what they signed up for."

He suggested they could rotate and even get back on the streets to patrol along side local officers. Marrero offered the sheriff's department in Camden County has a patrol division.

"It's a very important office and I'd like to see if it could maybe be brought into the 21st century," Marrero said. "I'm not privy to what's going on in that office, but I talked to some of the officers in there and been there and I personally think they need to be brought up to the times."

If you ask the seated sheriff, he'll tell you his officers are already there.

"I think this department has bettered itself," Morina said. "I've saved the county money and provided services they didn't have before."

Those services include handling of child safety seat inspections, bicycle helmet programs and the Operation Lifesaver project the radio bracelet locator program for sufferers of dementia.

During his term, Morina said raids during the course of the year net thousands of dollars in warrant arrests and creative scheduling has routinely brought the department under budget on their overtime payouts.

He has also implemented shift changes to expand coverage hours. Some members of the union took exception to the move, but it's one that Morina said will pay off in the name of safety in the long run.

As for making traffic stops while out on patrol, Morina claims the number of times sheriffs officers have pulled over drivers has increased dramatically in his time holding the office.

"We're not stopping grandma for having something hanging on her rear view mirror or having a bad inspection," Morina said. "We're stopping people that are running red lights, those who are engaging in DWIs. What's an officer to do?"

They are all sworn officers with the same police powers as a cop working for a municipality. Even when they make traffic stops, the revenue from the ticket goes back to the towns and not the county or department.

"I tell my officers to do their job and do it the correct way," Morina said.

A training unit was started and now officers sitting in front of computer screens while on post at county buildings are becoming more versed on the latest policing techniques via interactive technology.

Officers also are continuing to be trained in active shooter drills at off hours at Gloucester County College and county facilities to increase effectiveness in the event of security breaches.

The Sheriff made it clear he doesn't know much about Marrero and that he's running on his record both as sheriff and as a former chief and patrol officer.

His Republican opponent said this is new experience and a different opportunity for him, but added he's not a politician.

"I'm willing to work," Marrero said. "I'm not afraid of getting down in the trenches, getting dirty and doing what I have to do."