Candidates for Spartanburg County Sheriff: Meet Robert Cheeks
In an effort to help readers know more about the candidates and their stances on key issues facing the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, the Herald-Journal sent four questions to each candidate – one tailored to his individual experience and three that are identical. Some answers have been edited lightly for length or clarification.
Robert Cheeks
Age: 36Occupation: 1st Lieutenant, Spartanburg County Sheriff's OfficeFamily: Divorced, five children
You have served as 1st Lieutenant over the Uniform Patrol Division with the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office. You've also worked on the issue of gang activity in the county. How have these experiences provided you with insights on key law enforcement challenges in the community and on the need for change in the sheriff's office?
Spartanburg County has reached an unprecedented epidemic that directly affects our youth from 12- to 18-years-old. Gang violence and initiation begins as early as the sixth grade in every school in this county. By the age of 16, every child has been exposed to some type of gang-related ideology, and it is having devastating results, to include death.
Based on your understanding of the situation in the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office currently, what would you do in your first month (or week or six months or year…) to improve morale among deputies and staff members?
The first 100 days should truly be spent listening to every deputy at the Spartanburg County Detention Center and the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office. Everyone who wants to be heard deserves to be heard. And together we can create a plan going forward so we all will flourish.
The subject of pay for deputies has been a focus of discussion in this race. Salaries vary from county to county and among various municipal police forces. What can be done to keep Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office salaries competitive with those of surrounding departments?
It begins with support from Spartanburg County Council. We have the same number of deputies working the streets in 2025 that we had in 2001. How do we increase those numbers? Pay the deputies what they deserve. It's not only better for the deputies but for the quality of law enforcement services for the citizens.
Since President Trump took office in January, there has been considerable discussion about immigration enforcement. ICE is set to receive a substantial increase in funding following the recent budget legislation that was signed into law. Candidates for Spartanburg County Sheriff have expressed support for ICE's efforts to target illegal immigrants.
At the same time, some residents are worried about the potential presence of masked ICE officers using heavy-handed tactics in our community. Others are anxious about the possibility of ICE mistakenly detaining legal immigrants, naturalized citizens – or even U.S.-born citizens. How would you balance support for the federal crackdown on illegal immigration while protecting the rights of individuals and communities in Spartanburg County?
The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office has had a working relationship with ICE for more than a decade. As Sheriff, one of your top priorities is ensuring that the rights of the people are not infringed upon. We have to ensure that everyone, regardless of their status, is afforded due process. This will ensure that everyone is afforded the same protections.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Candidate for Spartanburg County Sheriff, Cheeks, answers questions
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