A Fuquay-Varina man who has spent most of his adult life in law enforcement has filed for sheriff of Wake County, challenging Donnie Harrison who has held the office for six years.

James W. (Jay) Sills, Jr., a Democrat, filed Friday. Harrison, a Republican, was expected to file for reelection this week.

Both candidates are seeking their own party’s nomination for the post. The primary is May 4, the general election in November.

Sills said in an interview Monday his biggest concern is in the way immigration matters are being handled. As he sees it, law enforcement is homing in on poor people, spending a great deal of money pursuing those who may have committed petty crimes, money he believes could be spent more effectively elsewhere.

Sills, who lives at 1419 Stone Lion Dr., said he had worked in law enforcement in Harnett, Sampson and Johnston Counties and in Kenly and Newton Grove police departments.

He said he received law enforcement and security training in most of these departments.

Sills said he has a civil service job now, but he cited the Hatch Act as prohibiting him from being more specific about his work.