Mark Lajoye is a member of the St. Anne Pacelli Church and is associated with the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization. 

Mark Lajoye served in the US Army, National Guard, and as an FBI liaison. He also worked as a deputy with the Russell County Sheriff's Department and as the Director of Training and Operations at the Legion OTG in Blakey, Georgia. Additionally, Mark has taught advanced situation awareness, specializing in intelligence and kinesics training. 

Mark Lajoye's campaign for County Sheriff in Muscogee County is his first entry into politics.

Candidate website

Twitter

Facebook

Believes Columbus citizens mistakenly expect the Police Chief to lead crime prevention, a role actually designated to the sheriff as per city charter, not including such duties under the Chief's responsibilities of reporting, personnel management, and fiscal oversight.

Believes Columbus citizens are "misinformed as to who is responsible for crime prevention in our county place...[and] added unnecessary expectations and pressure" to the Chief of the Columbus Police Department by mentioning  "Section 17-14 outlines the duties of the Police Chief...is responsible for reporting to the mayor, for personnel hired, fired, trained, etc., and for fiscal management...There is no current terminology in the city charter that puts crime prevention on the Police Chief."

Said, "We must treat violence much like we with an infectious disease by promoting prevention methods to control it."

Plans a 5-step crime strategy involving community intelligence, clergy partnership, Columbus Police collaboration, repeat offender accountability, and hotspot policing, detailed at his campaign website.

Plans to implement a 5-step crime strategy involving community intelligence, clergy partnership, Columbus Police collaboration, repeat offender accountability, and hotspot policing. 

Opposes spending a decade and $7 million on ineffective safety programs like St. Louis's Cure Violence; asserts crime is worsening indiscriminately and demands immediate crime prevention measures.

Opposes allocating significant funds towards the St. Louis's Cure Violence, calling it "ineffective". 

Supports educating the Columbus community on crime prevention, empowering residents with knowledge to reduce victimization and crime in the Valley, as advocated by Mark LaJoye.

Supports educating the Columbus community on crime prevention and empowering residents with knowledge to reduce victimization and crime in the Valley.

Wants to use information received from intelligence reports to target high crime areas.

Plans to organize a county task force deputized to have multi-jurisdictional authority.

Opposes gang activity and believes it contributes to illegal drug trade and human trafficking.

- Believes Columbus citizens are "misinformed as to who is responsible for crime prevention in our county place...[and] added unnecessary expectations and pressure" to the Chief of the Columbus Police Department by mentioning  "Section 17-14 outlines the duties of the Police Chief...is responsible for reporting to the mayor, for personnel hired, fired, trained, etc., and for fiscal management...There is no current terminology in the city charter that puts crime prevention on the Police Chief."
- Said, "We must treat violence much like we with an infectious disease by promoting prevention methods to control it."
- Plans to implement a 5-step crime strategy involving community intelligence, clergy partnership, Columbus Police collaboration, repeat offender accountability, and hotspot policing. 
- Opposes allocating significant funds towards the St. Louis's Cure Violence, calling it "ineffective". 
- Supports educating the Columbus community on crime prevention and empowering residents with knowledge to reduce victimization and crime in the Valley.
- Wants to use information received from intelligence reports to target high crime areas.
- Plans to organize a county task force deputized to have multi-jurisdictional authority.
- Opposes gun control.
- Opposes gang activity and believes it contributes to illegal drug trade and human trafficking.

Public Safety

Said, "Dealing with crime isn't just about putting people in jail... There has to be a plan in place that will not only punish criminal activity but attack the crime at its source in order to prevent it."

- Said, "Dealing with crime isn't just about putting people in jail... There has to be a plan in place that will not only punish criminal activity but attack the crime at its source in order to prevent it."

Jail Management

The candidate's website says, "Tougher sentencing laws would need to be established through legislation and the courts to deter repeat offenders."

Supports establishing harsher sentencing laws through legislation and the courts to deter repeat offenders.

Believes Columbus has a "gang problem" and supports targeting drug trade, as he believes that be the cause of gang violence rather than increasing gang arrests. 

Said "It is our duty as Americans to safeguard the constitutional rights, civil liberties, and privacy of all citizens and to ensure that the Sheriff is accountable to the people he serves."

- Supports establishing harsher sentencing laws through legislation and the courts to deter repeat offenders.
- Believes Columbus has a "gang problem" and supports targeting drug trade, as he believes that be the cause of gang violence rather than increasing gang arrests. 
- Said "It is our duty as Americans to safeguard the constitutional rights, civil liberties, and privacy of all citizens and to ensure that the Sheriff is accountable to the people he serves."

Criminal Justice

Mark Lajoye

Gregory Countryman Sr. was born in Plains, Georgia, and moved to Columbus after his father was stationed at Ft. Benning, Georgia. He holds a degree from Georgia Regional Command College and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Administration from Columbus State University in 2007. He also took part in FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development (L.E.E.D.S) training. Greg is married to his wife, Angela and together they have three sons and have also served as foster parents.

Gregory served as Muscogee County Marshal for 16 years and as an Assistant Adjunct Professor with Georgia Military College for seven years. He also has experience with the Columbus Housing Authority Police Department in their Drug Vice Task Force. 

Gregory Countryman Sr is the County Sheriff of Muscogee County. He was elected to this position in 2020. He has served in this position for 1 term. 

Believes in strong law enforcement; supports merging departments, maintaining jail capacity, boosting staff morale, and restoring public trust. Opposes gangs, proactively seizing guns and drugs, including a significant amount of illegal Fentanyl, to enhance public safety in Muscogee County.

Said, "We hope that you will join us in the mission to get Sheriff Greg Coutryman re-elected, so that he may continue his efforts to make the streets of our county safer for all Citizens."

The candidate's website says, "Numerous Guns and Drugs Seized by MCSO - Multiple Arrests Made by Sheriff's Deputies"

Believes Marshal Gregory Countryman enhanced the Marshal's Office's respect and integrity, achieving top national rankings in 2008 and 2009, despite being significantly understaffed compared to larger agencies.

Supports early intervention and community engagement through the Junior Marshal Program, which fosters citizenship and leadership to prevent youth involvement in violence, gangs, drugs, and other delinquencies, maintaining a 100% success rate since 2005.

Installed the Junior Marshal Program, which emphasized citizenship, leadership, education, fun, and teamwork. He claims "None of the students assigned with the Junior Marshal program have experience: teen violence, gang activity, drug involvement, teen pregnancy, or truancy."

Websites states as County Sheriff, he "successfully handled the merger of the Muscogee County Marshal's Office with the Sheriff's Office, maintained a Jail at its capacity, improved employee morale..."

Website states "The Sheriff’s crime suppression efforts have helped to reduce the Murder [and] Homicide rates by 40% in 2022."

- Installed the Junior Marshal Program, which emphasized citizenship, leadership, education, fun, and teamwork. He claims "None of the students assigned with the Junior Marshal program have experience: teen violence, gang activity, drug involvement, teen pregnancy, or truancy."
- Websites states as County Sheriff, he "successfully handled the merger of the Muscogee County Marshal's Office with the Sheriff's Office, maintained a Jail at its capacity, improved employee morale..."
- Website states "The Sheriff’s crime suppression efforts have helped to reduce the Murder [and] Homicide rates by 40% in 2022."

As of July 25, 2024, Gregory Countryman Sr’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Marsy's Law, A Closer Look With Sheriff Greg Countryman

The candidate's website says, "Marshal Countryman and a few of his deputies personally work to help change the lives of some of the young men at MLK Elementary School and Baker Middle School... As sheriff, he will maximize the current resources to do greater project on a larger scale."

Supports strong law enforcement; led Muscogee County Sheriff's Office, merged departments, improved jail and morale, restored trust, proactively fought gangs, seized guns and drugs, including 380,000 doses of Fentanyl, to enhance public safety.

As County Sheriff, he has worked to address gang activity as in the last two years, the County Sheriff's Office has "seized over 500 guns from the hands of gang members and convicted felons...seized $3,150,000.00 worth of drugs off the streets....[and] seized 380,000 doses of illegal Fentanyl."

Supports Marsy's Law, which seeks to give crime victims meaningful and enforceable constitutional rights equal to the rights of the accused, stating  it " gives the victims a voice, and...[and] a role in the process... acts as a force multiplier in the courtroom adding their voices to the prosecutor’s case.... Marsy's Law is one of the strongest pieces of court privileges that any victim can have."

- As County Sheriff, he has worked to address gang activity as in the last two years, the County Sheriff's Office has "seized over 500 guns from the hands of gang members and convicted felons...seized $3,150,000.00 worth of drugs off the streets....[and] seized 380,000 doses of illegal Fentanyl."
- Supports Marsy's Law, which seeks to give crime victims meaningful and enforceable constitutional rights equal to the rights of the accused, stating  it " gives the victims a voice, and...[and] a role in the process... acts as a force multiplier in the courtroom adding their voices to the prosecutor’s case.... Marsy's Law is one of the strongest pieces of court privileges that any victim can have."

LinkedIn

Gregory Countryman Sr

The County Sheriff is an elected official who acts as the chief law enforcement officer in their county. They are tasked with operating the county jails, keeping courtrooms secure during trials, and keeping the public safe through proper law enforcement. Each Sheriff's Office in Georgia may look a little different in how they hire and run their teams, but all County Sheriffs have the same duties. These duties include the following:

- Operating the county jail
- Providing court security
- Serving civil papers
- Executing arrest warrants
- Providing primary law enforcement within unincorporated areas of the county
- Working with city law enforcement officers to keep municipalities safe

The County Sheriff and their office are unique to other law enforcement agencies in that it has to answer to the people it serves. Historically, a turnover in the Sheriff’s office will likely result in noticeable change within the office, so voting for this office is a very effective way to vote approval or disapproval for how county law enforcement is conducted.