COLUMBIA - For Sen. Jake Knotts of Columbia, a law enforcement official for most of his career, the outcome of the governor's race is personal.

Knotts said he won't vote for fellow Republican Mark Sanford because the governor vetoed legislation in support of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. The monument would have included the name of family member Mike Knotts, the Wagener police chief who was killed in the line of duty.

"Blood's thicker than politics," he said.

Knotts pledged at a campaign event Friday to support Democratic candidate Sen. Tommy Moore. The luncheon attracted about 20 other public safety officials, including retired S.C. Highway Patrol Col. Ralph Mobley, Lexington County Solicitor Donnie Myers and Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott.

Moore struck a positive note with the group, insisting his candidacy is about helping people.

"South Carolina is not some laboratory to do some experiment," he said. Instead, he intends to ensure that law enforcement officials get what they need and that violent crime is addressed in cooperation with local officials, he said.

Sanford, meanwhile, has won endorsements from five sheriffs, including Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon Jr. and Dorchester County Sheriff Ray Nash, according to a news release. Campaign officials say the governor wants more law enforcement funding, stricter DUI laws and tougher penalties for sex offenders.

The Moore campaign pointed to Sanford's vetoes of legislation that would require more rigorous background checks for prospective teachers and that would increase the fine for violating the child restraint law.

Knotts had other crime-related objections. He criticized Sanford for vetoing the hospital security bill, which would have enabled Lexington County security guards to train at the Criminal Justice Academy and become part of the law enforcement community, reducing the burden on local police in case of a public emergency.

Sanford called the bill unconstitutional because it pertained only to Lexington County guards and not guards from other counties.

Both the monument and hospital security bills became law when the governor's veto was overridden by the Legislature.

Knotts also said the Criminal Justice Academy should function under the auspices of the Law Enforcement Council, as it once did, and not under the umbrella of the Department of Public Safety. Since it became part of the latter, its reputation has deteriorated, Knotts said.

Sanford threatened to veto this legislative effort as well, saying in a campaign release that the change would create "yet another island of government."

State GOP chairman Katon Dawson said Knotts' comments were unfortunate but not new.

"We've seen him put his personal ambition ahead of party support in the past," Dawson said.

But Knotts and others at the campaign luncheon said they support Moore because of his record and friendship.

Mobley called Moore's reputation among public safety officials strong. "He has overwhelming support within the law enforcement community," he said.

Some in the black community worry that he's not reaching them after the candidate recently backed out of an NAACP-sponsored forum in Georgia scheduled for Oct. 12. The event will be in Augusta because of the NAACP's economic boycott of South Carolina.

A debate between candidates for governor should be held in South Carolina, Moore said, adding that he respected the NAACP's position but felt he shouldn't participate in an event that could be perceived as an endorsement of the boycott.

Reach Adam Parker at 745-5860 or aparker@postandcourier.com.