2 longtime public servants vie for Galveston sheriff
The race to fill the seat of outgoing Galveston County Sheriff Henry A. Trochesset will see two longtime public servants on the ballot in the Republican primary.
Ray Nolen and Jimmy Fullen are vying to serve as chief law enforcement officer of the county and cite mental health, public safety and crime as priority issues. Trochesset decided not to run for another term.
Nolen has been with the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office for more than 30 years and is currently a major leading the Criminal Law Enforcement Bureau.
He said he created an organized crime task force several years ago to address gang-related activity and that in 2023 that unit made 180 felony arrests and 125 misdemeanor arrests and seized $4.1 million in narcotics and 71 firearms.
“I’m proud of that unit’s work, and we’ve got to stay on top of that,” he said.
Fullen has more than 36 years of experience in law enforcement and resigned from his position as chief deputy of the Galveston County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office to run for sheriff.
If elected, Fullen said, he would put more deputies on the street to combat gang violence, shootings, narcotics dealings and prostitution as a response for what he calls an “uptick” in crime and shootings in Galveston County.
“I think as sheriff I can take control of that, and I know how to run an agency and get things done,” Fullen said.
According to statistics provided by the sheriff’s office, the number of violent crimes for 2023 was 1,091, a drop from the 1,538 recorded in 2022. Those numbers are reported by the county to a federal database, said Maj. Ron Hill with the sheriff’s office.
Fullen claims those numbers tell an incomplete picture.
“I have to disagree with any kind of federal stats because if you talk to the folks in the unincorporated parts of Galveston County that we patrol, they will tell you in a heartbeat that crime is not down,” Fullen said. “I’m going by what the people in these parts of the county are telling me.”
Fullen said he would fund an increase in patrol presence by repositioning personnel in the sheriff’s office already budgeted.
“I would take civilian positions that are being manned by deputies and refilling them with civilians and put those deputies back out of the street,” he said.
Both candidates hope to step up the county’s mental health initiatives if elected.
“If you look at some of the shooting incidents over the last five years, in almost every one of them there was a mental health issue behind it,” Fullen said. “My plan is for every patrol deputy to go through an extensive training on how to deal with mental health patients.”
Nolen also thinks drug addiction and mental illness often drive criminal activity and that coming up with additional resources would help.
“We have a very proactive mental health division where we respond and evaluate people so they can get appropriate treatment instead of taking them to jail,” he said. “I’ve got to work with the community and try to partner with them and come up with some programs and resources to try to help people that are on the street.”
Election day for the Texas primaries is Tuesday.
Here’s more information about each candidate and other key issues.
Jimmy Fullen
Fullen, 60, is from Galveston has more than 36 years of experience in law enforcement.
He most recently served as chief deputy for the Precinct 2 Constable’s Office.
Background: Fullen has 35 years of experience as a full-time law enforcement official, including as the four-time elected Republican constable in Precinct 2 for 14 years.
Fullen has served in several county law enforcement agencies, including as chief of police for the Texas City Police Department and chief of police of the Galveston Independent School District.
In 2021, he was appointed by Galveston County Judge Mark Henry as the lead coordinator of the Southern Border Taskforce, which was the first nonborder county in Texas to send sheriff and constable deputies to Kinney County.
Why he’s running: “I am running for Galveston County sheriff because I’ve been in law enforcement in this county for 35plus years,” he said. “I was born and raised in this community, and my whole career has been spent in this community.”
Fullen has racked up a long list of key endorsements from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Galveston County Commissioners Joe Giusti of Precinct 2 and Darrel Apffel of Precinct 1, police chiefs, mayors and council members from the cities of Friendswood, Texas City and League City, and law enforcement associations in Houston, Galveston and League City.
Key issues: Mental health issues, crime, school safety and drug-related crime.
As a former chief of police with Galveston ISD, Fullen counts school safety as another top priority.
“We have a new state law that requires security or school marshals to be placed in every school in Texas. I think we need more of that, and it’s something I will have to negotiate with the superintendents once I take over the sheriff’s office. All the school districts that we currently contract with, they set the budget for how many people they want. In addition to that, I think you need to have deputies patrolling the outside of schools to try to keep the problems from getting inside the schools.”
Ray Nolen
Nolen, 58, is from La Porte and has had a career in public service and public safety for 36 years, including more than 32 years in law enforcement. Nolen is a major over the Criminal Law Enforcement Bureau at the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office.
Background: Nolen began as a part-time reserve deputy with the sheriff’s office in 1991 and worked his way up to the rank of major.
Before taking on a fulltime role at the sheriff ’s office, Nolen worked as a paramedic for the city of La Porte, where he served as assistant chief of EMS and retired in 2019 as chief of EMS.
Why he’s running: Although he has received the endorsement of Trochesset, Nolen said he considers himself to be the “underdog” in the race because of his opponent’s name recognition as an elected official and the long list of endorsements Fullen has amassed from various public officials and law enforcement agencies and unions.
Nolen has also been endorsed by other key supporters such as U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls and former Galveston County Sheriff Freddie Poor.
“I went through my career just trying to serve the public and lead my men and women,” said Nolen. “I wasn’t trying to get recognition, I didn’t need anybody to know my name. I didn’t realize I was ever going to be doing something like this. Perhaps if had known, I would have been out there trying to toot my own horn more, but I just wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.”
Nolen said he had previously been eyeing retirement with no intentions to seek elected office but that he felt compelled to enter the race because he feels the next county sheriff should come within the agency.
“I think it’s important that people know I’m committed to advocating for not only citizens, which are No. 1, but my employees and making sure their performances are above table and that they are held accountable when they cross that line,” Nolen said
Key issues:
In addition to addressing mental health initiatives and homelessness, Nolen said he wants to get the agency accredited, which includes making sure practices and procedures are best practice standards and includes its promotional process, he said.
“I would want to reassure everybody that they are going to be allowed under my command to continue to do their jobs, and I am going to advocate for them, promote their professional development,” he said.
Visit the Galveston-Votes website for a complete list of polling locations and voting information for all upcoming Galveston County elections.