Even if former Clayton County sheriff Victor Hill wins his old job back, he still may not be able to serve.

Hill has been indicted for 37 counts including racketeering and theft when he was in office. He was defeated by current Sheriff Kem Kimbrough in 2008.

Hill is running in the July 31^st primary election to get his old job back, but there is one problem. His law enforcement certification is under emergency suspension because of that indictment.

State law requires an elected sheriff to be certified within six months of taking office.

Georgia's Peace Officer Standards and Training Council told Channel 2 Action News it does not start investigating administrative certification cases until the criminal case is finished. But Hill’s trial isn’t even on the judge’s calendar yet. The next pre-trial conference is scheduled for September.

"One thing about justice is the wheel turns slowly," Hill told Channel 2.

If Hill wins the election, he would take office in early January, meaning he would need to be certified by early July. Georgia's P.O.S.T. Council only meets quarterly.

"Timing is going to be everything on this one," said Georgia P.O.S.T. Council spokesman Ryan Powell.  "Once the courts are done with it, we should have all the information we need to get it resolved in probably three to six months. But that still creates a problem for him once he hits that six months in office."

Even if a jury acquits Hill, P.O.S.T. could still take action against Hill's certification.

"The two processes are completely separate," said Powell, "Ethical, lying, cheating, stealing, while a lot of that may be criminal, those type things are what we might look at."

Hill believes the criminal charges, filed months after he qualified to run for sheriff, were politically motivated.