To the editor:

I am pleased to write you a letter in support of Steve Hoffman for Jasper County Sheriff. I have known Steve for almost 10 years. I have been employed for the past seven years as a deputy sheriff in the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. I met Steve prior to that when I had a college internship there, followed by almost three years as a volunteer reserve deputy, serving on hundreds of hours of ride time each year. Most of those hours were spent riding with Steve. I learned a lot about law enforcement and Steve during those times. Over the past eight years, I have been one of the members of Team Jake, our bicycling team fundraising for Multiple Sclerosis. Steve has been our team captain since the beginning. Steve and I have pedalled more than 1,200 tough miles in support of MS research.

I have grown to know him very well on both professional and personal levels over the years. Steve possesses numerous qualities important in maintaining the Office of Sheriff. Steve is one of the most dedicated and professional law enforcement officers I know. He is very thorough in his work and completes investigations as they should be done. Steve will always put in the extra effort to seea case to a successful completion. Oftentimes that means staying hours past shift with hard work and attention to detail that leads to successful prosecution in the case.