The incumbent Sheriff in my county has decided not to run for re-election.

At the moment, there are no declared candidates for the job that I know of.

I'm considering throwing my hat in the ring.

I'm qualified, legally speaking.  I'm not a sworn LEO, nor do I have to be in order to be elected Sheriff.

I have no criminal history.


I don't have any grandiose plans of transforming the Sheriff's Department.    I'd keep things almost status quo because the department runs efficiently and scandal and upsets concerning the department are few and far between.

I would only make a few changes.   They would all be aimed at increasing public trust in the deputies.     Roving road blocks (They call them safety checks, which are legal, but are really roving DUI roundups, which are NOT legal in Florida) would be ended.    Victimless crimes would become absolutely the last crimes that would be investigated.   That specifically relates to prostitution and activities within topless bars.     Though prostitutes would be run off from certain areas if they were a persistent nuisance,  I really don't CARE if you want to trade money for a little lovin'.   Your butt is your own business,  and the deputies can certainly find some REAL criminals to pursue instead.   Nor do I care if some girl in a topless bar is allowing some customer to grab a little more than the law strictly allows.  If it's OK with her and the customer,  why should I care?

The dress code would be modified a little bit.  For one,  I'd expect my deputies to grow some hair, if they're capable of doing so.  The bald look makes them look too much like skinheads or thugs in the eyes of the public.    I want to see clean cut, military spec haircuts.  

Nor would I want my deputies to look like JBGT's or commandos.  Only the SWAT team gets to dress like the SWAT team.

Patrols in drug blighted areas would be stepped up to the maximum available.   I'd like to drive the drug dealers absolutely insane from not being able to make a deal in peace.    

When people with a substantial criminal history get apprehended,  it would be policy to push for maximum charges and longest sentences.   If you're a multi-time loser,  you need to be taken out of society for a while to think about the direction your life is going.

First offenders, particularly non-violent ones, would normally be released with a warning (A file will be kept on it) and spend not one moment in even a holding cell.  A warning to the wise is truly sufficent, or so I believe.  


By policy,  if a person is found to be innocent of a crime after going through the court system, all items that were seized from him would be returned to him, save only items that are illegal for him to own. (True contraband, not what some jackass says is contraband.)  This policy would hold true for firearms as well as anything else.
Items would be returned immediately upon presentation of proof of the dismissal or closure of the case, without a guilty verdict.


Policy on LEO signoffs for curio, relic, SBR, and class III firearms:

Bring me all completed forms and documents, in person, including proof of an FBI background check (as required by the BATF) with no red flags, (and this will be verified), and I will sign them without question or hesitation.   I have no problem with legal ownership of any type of firearm.

Pursuit policy:  Not in populated areas unless the fleeing suspect continues to flee at high speed when not being pursued.   Public safety is the first concern.   This does not apply to cases where a violent crime, or crime committed with a weapon,  has just occurred.   All available resources will be dedicated to bringing such dangerous criminals in.

Harassment:  No deputy may engage in ANY form of intimidation or harassment of the public, even if the subject is a criminal suspect.  All civil rights will be protected with the greatest vigilance,  and any deputy that violates this policy will be dealt with severely.
Among other things, it will be forbidden for a deputy to threaten to arrest someone unless there is actual grounds for a valid arrest.  No "I'll think of something to charge you with" scenarios would be tolerated in the slightest.

If the ACLU forgets this county even exists, then we're doing things right.


Radio/scanner policy:  The law allows citizens to scan police activities, with some restrictions on mobile use of scanners that do not apply to licensed radio operators. (Amateur radio, and other services)  

The department would be officially "scanner friendly".



So what do you think?  Should I run?

CJ

I'd let your guys cut their hair as short as they want, but other then that you have my vote!

... Would you sign CLEO letterheads?

In words of one syllable:


YES!!


CJ

Good policies. I'd vote for you.

HELL YES!

[marines]

Just by what you have posted so far you would get my vote, but I think all that read this should go one step further, I want to see each of us come up with hypothetical  ( i cant spell) questions...some hard, some easy. I want to see how you respond....so I will be thinking of a couple of good questions if you are up to it...(this it great practice)

What is your resume like on the Business side? Have you ever owned or been executive officer of a corporation or a not-for profit organization?

Why not..need a political consultant?

You should then come over here and be sheriff.
the depuites have wanted a new one for about 10 years now.

As a Sheriff, you also have the authority to protect your citizens from the Feds, enforcing Federal law in your county. Check out what some Western Sheriffs are doing.....

[url]http://www.sierratimes.com/03/05/14/sheriff.htm[/url]

The article writer is our retired sheriff, and a friend of mine..

You've got this backwards there sheriff. You need to sign the form so that it can be mailed off for the FBI check. Just sign the damn things and let the people mail them off so that the FBI can do their job. Besides, you have no control over curios and relics, only NFA weapons and that's only if the buyer doesn't want to incorporate and cut you out of the picture completely.

I bet you would be a fine sheriff.

However, just a word of caution....



You will probably be required to swear to uphold the laws of your state.  That means all laws, not just those that you like.  

If you think prostitution should be legal, then run for state representative and change the law (or try too).  But as a sworn law enforcement officer, your duty is to enforce all laws.

To do otherwise would be a dereliction of duty and a violation of your oath.

It is not the job of LEOs to decide which laws are "good" or "bad" and then only enforce the ones they like.

Right.   I had that backwards, but the idea is simple enough:  I'll sign the form and if you can clear all the other obstacles on the track,  fine by me.  The application process is rigorous enough to weed out almost all the bad apples, especially the FBI background check.

CJ

Yeah, that's true enough...but it's certainly allowable to prioritize, isn't it?   I'm sure it is.  I'd just prioritize those "crimes" lowest on the list.   It'd better be a SLOW day on the streets before you start checking boobs for nipple coverage compliance!

Traffic tickets would take priority over that!

Oh...that's another thing:  State law requires any LEO who is running radar from a stopped position to have at least his marker lights running.  I'd enforce that if that law is still in effect.  It's routinely ignored now.

I'm still bouncing some ideas around, including my platform concepts,  and some may change before I finalize anything.

Throw some questions and comments at me, please!

Anyway,  no, I don't have a business background, except that I have worked for several businesses and am trying to get my own small business started as well.   I say 'trying' because I'm exploring the market and trying to see if I have a viable option here.

I'd run on character, intelligence, and integrity, rather than experience.  Experience has, in this county, been NO indicator of the quality of a sheriff's performance.   We had one that was very experienced and as crooked as a dog's hind leg.   The current Sheriff is good at his job, has a lot of experience,  and, unfortunately for us, isn't running again, though I'm sure he'd get re-elected without any problem.

I might get laughed off the ballot, and then, I might end up being the chief LEO in the county.  Who knows?

CJ

CJ, I have known five people who ran for and made Sheriff, and everyone of them changed. It may have taken awhile, but they changed and not for the better. You just said you would sign CLEO letters, I guarantee you that would be the first thing to change, I have seen it happen 5 times. Never say anything you won't stick to, so be careful what you say and if you run, Good Luck bro.

Think carefully about how much money it will cost to run.  A good friend of mine ran for sheriff a few years ago, and he ended-up spending about 5x what he had budgeted.  I was disappointed he didn't win, because while he wasn't really pro-gun, he was less anti-gun than any other law enforcement officer I've ever met in person.

Also, be careful making statements like "victimless crimes would become absolutely the last crimes that would be investigated."  For many people (read that as voters), arresting people for those type of crimes is something they strongly believe the police should do.  I think that should be reworded that you are putting more emphasis on crimes that aren't victimless.  I know that's a small point, but the local media tends to harp on things like that.  When my friend Bobby Joe ran, the local paper and many of the deputies were very critical of him because of his military experience.  He was a member of the Navy's UDT just after the Korean war, and you'd think that something like that would help you get votes.  Instead, it earned him the hostility of the media and the deputies, and made it next to impossible to hope to win.z

Do it!  I think it would be a great education in ways of the world.

I don't know how it is in your town but in my tiny town of Glen Rose, Texas unless you are active in your political party you may as well forget about winning.  

But who knows, if you don't run the answer is definite.  You won't have the job.

Of course, your opinion........may vary.