Do you think it is time for change?
Dear friends, neighbors and fellow Santa Rosa County residents,
Over the years I have seen a growing unease among my neighbors and friends with the Sheriff's Department. Current and past administrations of the Sheriff’s Office have only increased the spreading unease. Violations of trust, an apparent lacking of effective supervision and leadership, no personal accountability and the citizens not having anywhere to turn when they have a legitimate concern or complaint create and magnify this unease. It seems that one administration is nothing more than a carbon copy of the previous. Each successive administration no better than the one before, I do not have to look long and hard to find a reason for this. The reason is obvious.
Administrations do not change; only the names of those that head them change. The same level of local expertise just moves on from one to the other. What's worse is that because these Sheriff' lack well rounded experience in a number of areas, only those special areas of the Sheriff's local expertise in the department receive the attention of the Sheriff. Currently, investigations are the sacred bull. Why, because the Sheriff, throughout the majority of his career was in investigations. That’s fine. However, because of his lack of expertise in other areas that he needs to be efficient, those other important areas that make a department efficient and customer friendly are left dangling. Often under manned, under equipped, under trained and or under managed.
In this administration Investigations is a major working entity. Patrol, both enforcement and traffic provide
investigations with the crime reports investigations is responsible to solve. What we have ended up with is a decreasing number
of Deputies providing an increasing workload to an increasing mass of
investigators. It is no wonder people
cannot get a response out of the dispatchers or patrol and can expect even less
out of investigations to solve the crimes perpetrated against them. To increase the workload and visibility of
investigations, less and less has been required of patrol division; the less
required of patrol, the less trained and efficient patrol is; the less patrol
is trained, the less professional; the less professional the less
dedicated. It's a vicious circle that
has existed these past four years.
The previous Sheriff's expertise was management. We all know what a disaster that became.
What do we need to correct the problem?
That's easy, a well-rounded individual that has expertise in several
areas crucial to an effective department‘s operation and management; someone
who knows that no one person can individually run everything (Micro manage) and
therefore utilizes experts to manage, train, and function in the department
(Macro manage).
President Ronald Regan used this form of management both as Governor of
the state California and President of the United States with outstanding
success. WE can do the same for Santa
Rosa County.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office desperately needs to regain the
courtesy, respect, trust and pride of the citizens of this great County and to
provide the necessary services to insure the safety of all citizens in a
cooperative effort to make Santa Rosa County a safer and more enjoyable place
to live, work and play.
I've heard that there has been unfounded speculation, viscous rumors
and malicious statements made that I intend to fire members of the Sheriff’s
Office and that what I want to do is illegal.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
I want to increase the size and functions of the Patrol Division,
Traffic Enforcement Units and Community Policing Units. I want to insure that real services are made
available to the public. To make the
public an intrigal part of the department’s focus. I believe that we need to involve the community in their
Sheriff’s Office. I am not going to
reduce an already small Patrol Division, nor is anyone going to be fired as the
rumor goes. Everyone currently employed
will have a career in our Sheriff’s Department, and I know there is untapped
talent and abilities in our Sheriff’s Department yet to be utilized. It is sad
to recognize that the spreading of false rumors is surfacing so early in this
campaign.
My campaign goals and promises.
Questions
to Ponder:
1. In my opinion and the opinion of others I
know, having someone who has been found guilty of falsifying academic
credentials disqualifies them as any future contender for public office;
especially the top Law Enforcement officer of the your County Sheriff’s Office.
Do we really need or want that level of integrity in any law enforcement agency
at any level?
Who
ends up paying for this lack of integrity?
YOU!
2. It is beyond my comprehension that another
high official was involved in an incident where the driver of their boat was
intoxicated and operating the boat in their presence. Were it not for the Fresh Water Commission Officers, this
dangerous situation could have resulted in a fatal accident. A couple of years ago, in Okaloosa County,
the son of one of the founding fathers was killed in a boating accident that
involved alcohol. How can a individual
fill the capacity as the top law enforcement officer of any county, being
responsible for the apprehension of those who proved themselves a clear and
present danger to others when they themselves are guilty of the same? Does it really matter who was operating the
boat, the individual being present and allowing the operation of their boat by
an impaired individual is to me just as serious as the impaired operator.
What
a terrible breach of trust. Who stands
to suffer in the end?
YOU!
3. Does having the same old business as usual
with little to no action taken on cases with no witnesses sound like efficient
or proper law enforcement? That’s
saying the crime never occurred even thought it did. The only possible reason this atmosphere exists is to show a
false crime statistic and to be able to say: “Look, I have reduced crime!”
If
we only investigate misdemeanor crimes where the perpetrator is known and not
respond to, discard or not report the others, who suffers?
YOU!
As
an additional blow to our citizens, most insurance companies do not reimburse
without a police report. Again who
suffers?
YOU!
4. Do you think and believe that a person’s
past performance will affect their future performance? And if that performance is questionable,
maybe that individual should not be the choice for Sheriff of your County Law
Enforcement Agency?
Again
the victim of questionable and or substandard performance will end up being
YOU!
5. Do the rumors of that a candidate is going
to fire employee’s sound like fear mongering to you without the benefit of
talking to the candidate? Could it be
that those spreading the fear and rumors have no issues to debate and want to
conduct business as usual, leaving you the community wondering why you have a
County Sheriff’s Office? Or, are they
scared they may not be able to win this election without dirty politics?
Who
suffers in the end?
YOU!
6. Do you want some one who has or will
intimidate potentially good candidates from running because they did not get
offered a Senior Management position with a state agency?
This
type of expertise offered in such a case does no one any good. YOU and YOUR FAMILY will suffer in the end!
Like you, I am a resident of Santa Rosa County and do not want to be
misled or ignored by my public officials anymore. Like you all I want is to know the truth and be able to draw my
own conclusions. I want the laws to be
applied equally and fairly and those responsible for breaking those laws
pursued and prosecuted; not warrants sitting in a box with no follow up because
of departmental structure or funding.
My family and my neighbors all want to be treated with courtesy, respect
and dignity, not bullied asked if our 7 year-old daughters are promiscuous, or
our issue or concern brushed off. We
want accountability in ALL aspects of law enforcement and government! We want to maintain an active participation
in our government and have qualified individuals interacting with the
communities and leading our County Sheriff’s Department.
You, as a community can and should have input into how your Sheriff’s
Office operates, functions and responds within the scope of the law, State
Statutes and other mandates.
These issues, concerns, beliefs, coupled with my diverse background,
knowledge and proven position as a supervisor and manager insure that I can and
will make it better and is why I am running for election as your Sheriff of
Santa Rosa County. Like you I believe
that a fresh outlook is needed to move the Sheriff’s Office forward into the
new century. To bring a new mentality
and outlook into the Office and make the department operate in conjunction with
the communities they serve, to give the county residents a new era of
cooperation, trust and interaction.
Tired of being on the chopping block.
Tired of being a victim and suffering from inefficient law enforcement
at the hands of those without the apparent required experience or supervision,
demonstrated apparent lack of judgment and questionable ethics?
Then vote for Mark Erwin for Sheriff of Santa Rosa County.
Check Mark for Sheriff of
your County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Rosa.
Mark Erwin for your Santa
Rosa County Sheriff.
You Win with Erwin.
Pat
Erwin, Campaign Treasurer: famerwin@mchsi.com
E-mail
Mark or Pat at: famerwin@mchsi.com
Campaign
to elect Mark Erwin as your Santa Rosa County Sheriff.
On
a final note:
During
a California Highway Patrol Oral Board, the following question was asked of a
candidate:
“If
you were traveling down the highway in the desert, and you came upon a
battleship bearing down on you firing at you, what would you do?”
Best
candidates answer was: “I’d sink it with my submarine.”
Oral
board president’s response: “Where did you get the submarine?”
Candidate’s
answer was: “The same place you got the battleship!”
A
true story, think about it.
