Illegal immigration is a federal violation, says Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood.

But that is not what people want to hear.

Chitwood says he has been questioned repeatedly about his office’s enforcement of immigration laws.

“We are charging those that violate state laws,” Chitwood said. “It’s not the answer they want to hear and I understand that. Sometimes it is not the answer law enforcement wants to hear.”

Chitwood, a Democrat, is being challenged by Republican Claude Nix in Tuesday’s general election. The sheriff currently oversees 197 employees. The combined budget of the sheriff’s office and the jail is $12 million. The base salary if a new sheriff is elected will be $82,130.29. Chitwood, who has been sheriff for 16 years, is paid $100,094.82.

Earlier this year, the sheriff’s office put in place the 287(g) program, which gives jailers access to a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement database that alerts them if an individual who is arrested is in the country illegally.

“We are one of only three agencies in Georgia approved to provide locally trained officers’ access to the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement nationwide database,” Chitwood said.

Deputies also continue to monitor gang activity, Chitwood said. The sheriff’s office is a member of the Conasauga Safe Streets Task Force, which includes officers from several agencies.

“The gangs locally are loosely structured with no ranking, structure or financial backing,” Chitwood said “As a result of closely monitoring their activity, we strongly believe that many of those that once posed a threat to the community have moved on to establish residence elsewhere and those that remain have become silent.”

Chitwood said drugs are still a concern but meth labs are almost “something of the past now.” One working meth lab was found at a house on Carbondale Road in March, the only one reported this year, he said, adding that just a few years ago the sheriff’s office was finding 10 to 15 a year.

And in the past year, crime rates have dropped overall, Chitwood said. For example, during the first five months of 2008, the sheriff’s office saw a decrease in burglaries compared to the same period of 2007, from 217 to 155. Thefts dropped from 572 to 461.

“We are very proactive in every aspect of law enforcement,” Chitwood said. “We are very fortunate to have some good numbers this year.”

Chitwood said the department has spent less than its budget every year since he has been in office and he plans to continue that.

“Anytime you have a department this size, there are always additional needs you would like to have, including additional personnel,” Chitwood said. “We are getting by with the budget that is provided to us.”

Chitwood is a graduate of Dalton High School and Dalton College. He has taken the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agents Course and attended the National Sheriff’s Institute and the FBI National Academy.