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Deckerville Police Chief Tim Torp filed nominating petitions last Friday as a Republican candidate in the August Primary Election.

Torp, 54, of Sandusky is the second candidate to file for the county's top elected law enforcement post. He joins Mike Redman, the Yale police chief and Sandusky area resident, who's also on the campaign trail.

Both candidates are retired from the county sheriff department where they served part of their careers as jail administrators.

Torp became the Deckerville chief in 2003, the same year he retired after 25 years with the sheriff department. During those two and a half decades, he worked as a deputy sheriff and road patrol sergeant, served as the first jail administrator, and retired as a road patrol sergeant.

Torp said his "grassroots" campaign will emphasize two issues: the jail, and employee accountability.

Torp, who ran the county jail for three years in the late 1990s, is against the proposal for a 200-bed, $16.6 million jail by the county Board of Commissioners.

"My wife and I both signed the petition to ask to have the project put to a vote, to let the people vote if they wanted it or not," said Torp.

The successful petition drive forced the commission to place the project on the ballot. It will be decided by voters in the primary election.

Torp opposes the project because he doesn't think the revenue source the county is relying upon to retire the debt - renting jail beds for federal prisoners - is reliable for such a large venture.

Torp said he agrees the county needs a new jail, and has heard those comments from citizens around the county, but the solution is a smaller facility that the county could afford, he said.

"There are no guarantees how long the county will be able to make that monthly payment from bed rentals (for a 200-bed jail)," he said.

Torp recalls when he was the jail administrator, the state department of corrections reduced the number of inmates that it placed in the Sanilac facility.

Torp said the county should tear down the older part of the jail, and replace it with a 40-50 bed facility.

He thinks there may be enough local investors to finance the project. Although revenue to retire the debt would still have to come from renting beds, he thinks the smaller project would be something the county could afford.

"I think people realize there's a need to replace the old part of the jail. That's exactly what they say - replace it, but let's not build a (jail we can't pay for)."

Torp's second issue is accountability.

"I have promised I would push to take accountability for the office of sheriff and the people who work there," he said.

Torp said law enforcement officers "need to be responsible for their actions - good and bad."

He added, "I would lead by example," which means "following department rules and regulations and let the rank and rile know they must also do that."

Torp said he and his wife, Laurie, will have a "grassroots campaign" that will go "door to door in every community."

Torp and his wife have two adult children, one grandchild and one on the way.