BRAZOS COUNTY, TX — It’s the first time in 24 years since Brazos County has been under the watch, and leadership, of a new sheriff.
From redecorating an office, to protecting a presidential inauguration, new sheriff, Wayne Dicky, has had a lot on his plate for his first four weeks in office.
Dicky has filled the chief deputy vacancy, left, by the now-retired, Jim Stewart, with Paul Martinez, and appointed sheriff's office member, Kevin Stewart, as a replacement for Sheriff Dicky’s prior position, managing the jail.
"The jail operations are critical to our success, and so while we [Kevin Stewart and I] haven’t worked real closely together this month, that’s a high priority, and we’ll work closely together," Sheriff Dicky stated.
The sheriff says, that as he worked closely with former sheriff, Chris Kirk, over the past two decades, Dicky will come into power with a good grasp on what’s expected of him in his new role.
Still, there have been a lot of new things to learn.
"We’ve got a lot of great people, doing good work, and it’s been nice to get to know more about what they do,” the new sheriff noted.
Dicky said that he, Kevin Stewart, and Chief Martinez, have also been making some plans for the future of the department.
"We are doing a review of our strategic plan, and taking a look at some priorities for the upcoming year," Sheriff Dicky shared. "And two that we have identified, right off, are our training, and our policy, and procedure manual.”
Still, watching Chris Kirk, his career mentor leave for retirement, was a bittersweet transition for the new Sheriff.
"Moving into this space was more than just boxes and furniture," he said. "It was... an emotional event.”