San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender says he wants to be re-elected in 2006. He kicked off his campaign Monday. KPBS Reporter Erik Anderson has details.
Kolender stood in front of the County Administration Building for his announcement. 70 year old law enforcement officer was flanked by four of the county's five supervisors, district attorney Bonnie Dumanis and two state lawmakers.
Kolender says he's ready to deal with the serious issues facing the county, including adequate funding, gang violence and hiring enough officers.
Kolender: "There's a lot of competition right now for hiring people. Right now we are short a few hundred and we're trying to hire. And if you read some of the media, you can see they're advertising from all over the country and from this state trying to get people to work for them."
If relected, Kolender would serve until 2010. He's been sheriff since 1995.
Erik Anderson KPBS News.
