FAYETTEVILLE — Mort Marshall, a former police officer and retired Farmington police chief, announced in late January he will run for Washington County sheriff.

Marshall, a Republican, is the first candidate to challenge Sheriff Tim Helder, a Democrat. Helder has announced he’s running for re-election to a seventh, two-year term.

Marshall first formed a Facebook page for his candidacy Jan. 20, followed by a Twitter account a week later, but said in an interview this week he was holding off on a more formal announcement.

Marshall said he considered running for some time, but was pushed to seek the office because he’s concerned about safety in the Washington County Detention Center.

“Not only safety issues for men and women trying to run the jail, but also inmates in the jail,” Marshall said. “First thing, we’ll have to look at policies in place.”

Marshall pointed to the recent attack of a male inmate who was allegedly tortured and raped by two other inmates during a 16-hour period. Javaughntaiye Willis, 21, and J’Donta Britt, 18, pleaded not guilty last week to charges from the incident.

Marshall also pointed to the attack of Deputy Thomas Trimberger in July 2012. Trimberger was alone with an inmate when the inmate knocked Trimberger unconscious, breaking his nose and giving him a concussion.

“I’m from the old school — if nothing’s broken, it doesn’t need to be fixed,” Marshall said. “But you’ve got things broken that need to be fixed.”

Helder said jail employees do all they can to anticipate problems and respond once they appear. He pointed to the jail’s increasing number of inmates. The inmate population has been on the rise since the jail opened in 2005 and has brushed against maximum capacity in recent months.

Helder said he and other sheriffs have been working with the state, which has its own overcrowding concerns, to deal with the issue.

“You’re going to have a few more acts of violence,” Helder said. “It’s pretty easy from the outside to paint with a broad brush and say there’s an issue. We’re doing everything.”

Marshall acknowledged the overcrowding concern as well. Work-release programs for nonviolent offenders and other measures might be used to prevent overcrowding, especially as the county grows, he said.

Marshall entered law enforcement in 1978, when he joined the Washington County Sheriff’s Department. He was a police officer in Lincoln, Elkins and Farmington before becoming Farmington’s police chief in 1989. He retired in 2001.

“I have five young grandchildren, and I just want to put my knowledge back to work and make this county the safest county,” Marshall said.