Campaign Issues

Since our web page development has been a little slow, I wish to get our stance on the issues out to people so they will know what we are about.  The issues we have developed are based on what we have personally seen as well as what the voters have been talking about with us.  We have had our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/beaty4sheriff) up since April 19th, 2011 and have had some great feedback. 

We intend to campaign about four core issues which we believe should summarize most all of the problems we have found.  These four issues are listed below and we will expand on each of them in following posts:

In managing the day to day operations, I want to focus on four critical issues:

1.      Strong Fiscal Responsibility-An elected official should be a good steward of the tax dollars entrusted and provided by the citizens.  He should ensure proper spending, not frivolous and that the spending is the most economical use of the citizen’s money.  As with every other citizen today, we must do more with less and ensure the money is spent wisely with accountability.        

2.      Aggressive enforcement of drugs and criminal activity-this will be by directed patrols, better utilization of volunteers (Reserve Deputies), grants, corroboration with other law enforcement agencies, strong investigations and other investigative techniques including the integration of modern technology into the historic pursuit of criminal outlaws.

3.      I will work for improved relationships with employees, the community, law enforcement and public safety agencies by corroboration, outreach, education, and changing of attitudes.

A.    Employees-The morale and direction of personnel at the Sheriff’s Office along with a clear chain of command require immediate attention.  An evaluation of positions is needed to ensure adequate coverage and attention to our basic duties.  Currently, there are more supervisors than there are employees, some of these supervisors do not even have people whom they supervise, this is an unnecessary waste of money and will be addressed immediately upon taking office. 

B.     The community is one of the front lines for the detection of criminal activity, the communities must be ready to speak to law enforcement without fear and with a desire to help their fellow citizens,

C.     The law enforcement and public safety communities must work together in today’s challenging times and budgets and do more with fewer resources.  Our vision of working with the agencies throughout the county would encourage participation and corroboration for more effective public service throughout the county. 

D.    Finally, as members of the community we believe the Sheriff’s Office should take an active role in giving back to our communities to foster better partnerships and good will in our communities.  I know the obvious need to bridge relationships between law enforcement and the people and communities which they serve.  We have several ideas that can be implemented at little to no cost to the citizens of the county. 

4.      Addressing our current Jail issues and working to resolve the issues of overcrowding and inadequate housing-Although the county commissioners are charged with providing adequate jail facilities, the Sheriff is the person who knows better than anyone the status of the facility and should be the leader in obtaining an adequate facility.  We have had a number of proposals to address our outdated and overcrowded jail.  I would like to involve the community and the experts in an effort to identify how best to proceed with a new jail.  I believe we should also think outside the box on the issue and consider a number of possibilities to address this ever present problem which has lingered for way to long.  We are going to have to identify funding sources for the construction of the facility using the most economical means which can only be accomplished by sincere corroboration with the community and our leaders.