PARIS — The race to lead county law enforcement looks to be quiet this year, as the current officeholder is  the only candidate for the job.

Wayne Gallant, who was elected sheriff of Oxford County in 2006, is not facing any challengers in the Democratic Party primaries scheduled for Tuesday. The Republican Party is not presenting a candidate to contest Gallant in the November general election for the four-year position.

“It’s been quite an honor to be able to serve as sheriff, and I think a lot of things I promised when I ran in 2006 have been accomplished,” he said.

Gallant, 60, said one of his main goals in that campaign was collaborating with other police agencies to put a stronger focus on family violence, property crimes and drug abuse. He said grants have allowed Detective Tom Harriman to work full-time as a domestic-violence investigator, while Deputy Michael Halacy and Cpl. Chancey Libby focus primarily on property and drug crimes, respectively.

Gallant said he has been successful in securing grants for the department, most of which do not require matching funds. One continuing grant started during Gallant’s term is Operation Stonegarden, in which the Department of Homeland Security reimburses the Sheriff’s Office for border patrols in the northern part of the county. Gallant said the operations have allowed the department to provide emergency assistance in remote areas and acquire new equipment such as night vision goggles.

Along with other sheriffs and county officials, Gallant opposed a state plan that would have closed several county jails, including Oxford County’s. The state later revised the plan to reduce the Oxford County Jail to a 72-hour holding facility that must transfer inmates elsewhere if they do not make bail within three days of their arrest. Gallant said the department is looking to increase efficiency by utilizing video arraignments and improving the vehicles used to transport inmates to initial court appearances.

“I still don’t believe in the process,” Gallant said. “We lost six full-time positions. We fought hard to keep it as it was.”

Gallant worked to change an agreement with the Maine State Police to cover areas of the county not monitored by local police departments. The original agreement rotated coverage areas between deputies and troopers each month, leading to difficulties in following up on incidents. The new system provides joint coverage in three zones, with the primary agency changing each week.

“This has worked a lot better for us,” Gallant said.

Gallant has overseen the upgrading of the fleet to include SUVs, four-wheel drive vehicles, and snowmobiles; the updating of cruiser laptops and addition of push bumpers to minimize damage in car-deer collisions; the purchase of Tasers for use by deputies; and the establishment of a school resource officer at Sacopee Valley High School in Hiram.

Henry Faulkner, chairman of the Oxford County Republican Committee Executive Board, said no one presented themselves as a potential Republican candidate for sheriff. He said he thought it would be difficult to defeat Gallant.

“I think that people are probably satisfied with Sheriff Gallant,” Faulkner said. “He’s doing a good job and it’s not easy to unseat an incumbent sheriff.”

For 25 years, Gallant was a member of the Rumford Police Department. He served the last 16 years as a lieutenant detective, and worked as chief of the Wilton Police Department for about two years.

Gallant has three adult sons and graduated from the University of Maine with a criminal justice degree. He also served in the Army during the Vietnam War.

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