BANGOR – Citing the region’s rising drug problem and speeding as some of his top priorities, patrol Sgt. William Birch of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department officially launched his campaign Friday for the department’s top spot.

Birch, who is running for sheriff as a Republican, also introduced his running mate, Cpl. Jason Moffitt of the Brewer Police Department. Birch said that Moffitt would be his chief deputy if he is elected sheriff in November.

Current Sheriff Edward Reynolds has said he will not run again due to illness.

A graduate of the Criminal Justice Academy’s law enforcement and corrections programs, Birch, 32, has served with the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department for 11 years. Birch also has worked as a corrections officer, patrol officer and detective for the county department. Before that, he also worked as an emergency dispatcher for the town of Hampden.

Moffitt, 31, has six years of law enforcement under his belt, four with the county and two with the city of Brewer. He holds a degree in psychology from the University of Maine and is working toward a master’s degree in business at Husson College.

Among the things Birch believes he can bring to the position are a “well-rounded, general knowledge of how each division works,” he said, having worked in several.

“Sheriff Reynolds has been a great mentor,” Birch said, citing the sheriff’s innovative approach to problem-solving as a philosophy he would like to continue.

Some of the ways Birch proposes to address the increase in drugs in the area involve education, he said while making his announcement at an office building on Odlin Road in Bangor.

For starters, he said, he would seek funding for the county’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, which fell victim to the county budget ax this year. He also would work to obtain federal grant funding for such initiatives as a school resource officer, a tool that has proven effective in area schools such as Brewer High School.

On the topic of crowding at the county jail, Birch said he would explore alternatives such as the Penobscot County Pre-Trial Services Program recently established here in conjunction with Volunteers of America. The program allows low-risk defendants to remain in their homes, under supervision, while awaiting trial and matches them with such services as treatment for substance abuse and mental health problems and assistance with mastering basic living skills.

Birch also said that he would work to increase patrols to combat speeding, particularly in rural communities where he noted patrol has been spotty.

“If elected, there’s one sincere promise that I’ll make: I will work hard to provide a professional and committed agency for the people of Penobscot County,” he said.

Birch will face Chief Deputy Glenn Ross, another Republican, in the June primary.

Others seeking the position are retired Bangor Police Officer Richard Stitham, who will face fellow Democrat Timothy Richardson, who served as sheriff from 1980 to 1984, in the June primary.

Joseph Dauphinee, another Democrat and a sergeant at the sheriff’s department, also has turned in nomination papers to the secretary of state’s office.