Sometimes, one thing leads to another.
I received a solicitation in the mail from the North Carolina Sheriffs Association which looked – at first glance – like it came from our local Sheriff Joseph W. Jones.
So I stopped by the Sheriff’s office and made an appointment to see him. The next day, we met and had a far-reaching conversation. Let’s say
that the Sheriff’s office does benefit from the solicitation, through training and the mutual support given by one Sheriff to another.
We got to know each other a bit. He has been with the Sheriff’s office for quite awhile. My own experience as a City Manager and an Assistant County Manager put me in close contact with Police Chiefs and Sheriff’s. We both respect the rule of law and believe that additional resources – well-spent – will help resolve many problems that law enforcement must resolve. Sheriff Jones is a thinking person, who cares deeply about our community.
With the formalities out of the way, I asked him why he had opposed the beer and wine issue at the Robbinsville Board of Alderman meeting. His answer was clear and quick. Briefly paraphrased, he said “we don’t need another problem to deal with.”
The top law enforcement officer in Graham County has spoken and we need to give full consideration to his opinion. After all, he was elected by the majority of people who voted and he is responsible for the safety of the community.
Here are a few facts to consider:
* The Sheriff is responsible for police operations, including the jail. His deputies make Driving Under the Influence (DUI) traffic stops for alcohol, meth, heroin and opioids.
* In order to be guilty of DUI alcohol, you have to blow a .07 on a breathalyzer. All the deputies have these devices in their vehicles.
* There were approximately 24 DUI alcohol stops last year in our county, of more than 8,000 people and a whole lot of tourists; most are repeat-stops from approximately 10 people.
* My heart breaks for the family and friends who have lost loved ones to alcohol-related driving events. However, think for yourself about the frequency of these events. Would we be better able to avoid these tragedies with more rehabilitation and anti-addiction programs?
We then spoke about another heart-breaking scenario where alcohol was involved with domestic violence. There were approximately 40 cases in Graham County last year and most of the cases involved approximately 18 repeat-offenders.
These cases are complex. Alcohol fuels violent tendencies, which occur from scenarios usually caused by financial difficulties. Would the revenue resulting from beer and wine sales – under limited circumstances – provide financial resources to help solve the domestic-violence problem? Should we focus on reopening our battered-women shelter, if the resources were available? This is something to think about.
A columnist’s work is about opinions, including your own and others. I asked Sheriff Jones what he would do to solve these social ills. if he had an additional $250,000 annually in revenue? Wisely, he said, “I need to think about that.” We all need to think about that. The County Commission would have the resources available if they would only put the issue on the ballot and if it was passed by the voters. The solutions could be provided by a combination of the Sheriff, Health Department, not-for-profits and the faith-based community.
Sheriff Jones is a professional law enforcement official and we are lucky to have him in office. We agree on many things; however, to keep this issue off the ballot – because it might create more of a problem than we already have – does not solve the existing problem.
Resources well-applied by a broad base of organizations solves problems. Let’s put the issue on the ballot and let the people decide.
Roger Carlton is a columnist for The Graham Star.