Campaign Issues
Bridging Walton County
My main platform, “Bridging Walton Together with New Leadership” goes back a few years, but still relates today. At times, I would hear about different dilemmas between the Sheriff’s Office and the City agencies. As a Walton County resident, it alarms me to find that not only is this happening, it makes its way to the neighboring jurisdictions.
Being the Constitutional authority of the County, the Sheriff’s Office should support the cities within and outside its jurisdictional boundaries. Officers all over the world continue to be chastised, attacked, and killed just due to the badge they wear on their chest. We need to come together as “ONE” Walton by bridging the cities and county agencies. Agencies should not be competing against each other, but working towards combating the same goal, “Keeping our community safe and providing a service of excellence.”
Safety of our Children
Today’s world is getting scarier by the minute for our children in and out of school. Unfortunately, law enforcement struggles every day to find ways to keep our children, teachers, and citizens safe. All too often, we hear of school shootings, children dying during fights, apparent suicides due to bullying, and much more.
We often say, “I want to give them what I didn’t have!” and we forget how hard we worked for the things we wanted. More importantly, it was how we felt being able to get those things due to our hard work. We need to be more informed and part of our children’s lives, which allows us to observe any manifestations that arise.
Traffic Concerns / Accidents
As more and more citizens start to move into the county, more traffic concerns will also rise. We hear almost daily about traffic accidents due to either excessive speed or impatient and/or distractive drivers. It is clear that a deputy cannot be at every intersection or on every street in the county. However, having a specific traffic unit, including motor officers, can respond to traffic complaints and motor vehicle accidents with ease. Coming from a department and a rider of motorcycles, I know how versatile and functional a motor unit can be. If elected, I would like to re-activate a traffic unit that includes motor officers.
All too often we or someone we love will get into a motor vehicle accident. Those who have had the luxury here in Walton County know, that when you call 911, a deputy is typically the first to arrive. After informing the officer of your version of the accident, you find out that you have to wait for a GSP unit to work the accident, even if there are no injuries. At times this can add up to 30 minutes or more before you are released from the accident scene. In most cases, a deputy should be able to knock out a typical accident report within 15 minutes of arrival and utilize GSP for serious injury and/or fatality accidents. This will also free up GSP units to combat more traffic concerns throughout the county.
Mental Health
When we look at “Mental Health”, internally we see something completely two-dimensional. Sometimes we forget the number of disorders that qualify as Mental Health. As law enforcement officers, we respond daily to all types of Mental Health calls. Sometimes these calls are apparent but often times they are not.
But what about our Deputies, Dispatchers, and other workers? As law enforcement officers, we have a duty and persona to build a wall around us. This acts as a protective barrier so we show no weakness. We need to step back and realize that Mental and Physical Health go hand-in-hand. We must protect our deputies and other employees’ mental health just as much as their physical.
Let us know what’s important to you.
To help prevent spam, please answer this math question:
What is 5-4?
Connect With Us