Pubdate: Mon, 07 Jan 2002 Source: Dispatch, The (NC) Copyright: 2002, The Lexington Dispatch Contact: http://www.the-dispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1583 Author: Will Westmoreland SHERIFF FAILS CITIZENS Editor: A great Texan once said, "Why must those who are in the wrong always bury a 10-cent topic in $10 words?" When you slice through all of the heated rhetoric surrounding Sheriff Gerald Hege, you finally come to the unalterable conclusion that he has failed the citizens of our county. I, like most of you, was originally impressed with his "no-nonsense" tactics. The idea of using inmates to clean up our streets and taking away some of the luxuries of the jail that we all paid for was a welcome change. Had it stopped there, Sheriff Hege would be getting my vote in the next election. But, it didn't stop there. Next came the dark-tinted windows and the commando outerwear, followed by the juiced-up cars and the hostage rescue command center. Then there were the television commercials and the endorsements and the superimposed pictures of Sheriff Hege's head on fake money. It was like a bad script for "Buford Pusser's Revenge" and Gerald Hege was in the starring role. All of this, while an extravagant waste of money, was still not enough to cost the sheriff his job. When it comes right down to it, the role of the sheriff is to protect the citizens under his care. In this role, Sheriff Hege has failed miserably. According to statistics from the State Bureau of Investigation, only two crime categories to see a major drop were auto thefts and aggravated assaults. If you take those two items out of the equation, the violent crime rate actually increased in 2000 under Hege's watch. At the same time, the crime rate in the city of Lexington dropped. Violent crimes dropped by 17.5 percent and property crimes dropped by 4.2 percent. There are no command bunkers decorated with army green in the Lexington police headquarters. There are no officers dressed in military fatigues and no comic book cars to ride in. The police chief and his fine officers are too busy fighting crime to star in commercials or to toot their own horn in the form of a television show. Now we are faced with the results of the sheriff's lack of vigilance and oversight. Officers have been indicted for trafficking narcotics and profiting from their positions. Now it appears that 65 state criminal cases will be dropped. Many federal cases may be affected as well. Imagine the consequences of these felons remaining on the street. They will still be selling drugs to our children, breaking into our homes and stealing our possessions. These felons are on the street because Sheriff Hege didn't do his job. These are the facts, my fellow citizens, and I ask you to examine them closely between now and the next election or to sign a recall petition when it comes to you. Put aside your political persuasions and your romantic notions of a no-nonsense county sheriff superhero and think of what would happen to you in your job if you failed to accomplish your job responsibilities. You would be fired and so would I. Why should the most important county law enforcement officer be held to a lower standard? Finally, I would like to address those who have written in support of the sheriff and have used every $10 word in the book to justify his actions. One called us all "whiners." Another invited us to go join our "friends in Afghanistan." Greg Cannon even went so far as to question our personal integrity, patriotism and love of country. Well Mr. Cannon, take it from a man who used to organize motorcades for the Secret Service and whose grandfather received a Purple Heart in World War II, your personal attacks can't withstand the light of the truth. The bottom line is this: Sheriff Hege needs to be in the private sector where the Walter Mitty of Southern law enforcement can do no more harm. The only way is for all of us to use the power of the polls to put him there. Will Westmoreland Lexington - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart