Police practices throughout the country are under intense scrutiny, and Rick Wells knows it. “Some of the scrutiny is self-inflicted, and has some cause behind it,” he said. “Some is just lack of knowledge about the actual cases.” But whether attention is warranted or not, he said law enforcement leaders need to be mindful of it, and must strengthen community relationships. As he seeks the role of Manatee County’s top cop, Wells wants to shepherd the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office through that process.

A day after Sheriff Brad Steube announced he would retire at the end of his current term in 2016, Wells announced he would run for the office of sheriff himself. It’s a job Wells’ father Charles Wells held before Steube, and a job the younger Wells was aspiring to already in February when he left his role as police chief in Palmetto to be Steube’s chief deputy. The lawman feels confident about the current trajectory of sheriff’s office—“the crime rate has decreased since this sheriff was in office”—but he also sees need for every agency to constantly evolve.

That means continuing to employ cutting edge technology, said Wells, who in 31 years holding a badge has seen police work evolve from written notes to ubiquitous laptops and scientific analysis. But it also must involve an increased focus on community policing. Here, he hopes his time as Palmetto chief will be viewed as an asset. He worked hard, especially in the city’s large minority community, to boost relationships between church leaders and law enforcement, and tried to change the perception of law enforcement’s role in the justice system. “There is always a lot of emphasis on us making arrests and putting people away for crimes,” he said, “and nothing on what to do with a young man once he gets out of jail.” He worked with community leaders to educate ex-convicts on programs available to pursue a lawful path instead of falling back into a life of crime.

Wells, a Republican, to date is the only candidate to file for Manatee County Sheriff, but expects opposition as he runs for this open seat. A Republican primary would take place on August 30, 2016, with a general election scheduled Nov. 8, 2016.