Supports John Turner

Dear Editor, I am delighted that John Turner is running for Walla Walla County Sheriff. Both of his opponents currently work for the Walla Walla County Sheriff and have for over 30 years. They've been the captains in charge for the last 12 years. Unless John Turner is elected, I tend to believe it will be more business as usual. Currently the sheriff's officedoes not provide 24/7 coverage, they ran our K-9 program into failure, and there is a huge lack of attention to the rising gang problems our area has been experiencing.

As a former police officer who worked with gang mem­bers, John Turner has not only the experience but the interest and desire to really address the problem. Until very recently, John was the only candidate talking about 24/7 coverage, a K-9 unit and working with the community in solving our gang problem as a priority. He already has ideas and "out of the box" solutions. He has researched alternative funding options through grants and partnerships, as well as reaching out to fellow departments elsewhere that have quality K-9 programs for reference, something that his opponents have had many, many years in officeto work on yet have never accomplished.

John is the only candidate that I know of who has pledged to work patrol with his deputies in order to secure coverage, and, quite honestly, the only one I would trust out there to respond to my call for help. That is true leadership! Not only that he is willing but physically able to serve patrol with his fellow officersshows me that he will not be just an adminis­trator

behind a desk, but a motivating leader willing to share the load of personally protecting and serving our county.

John Turner is the originator of the idea of having quar­terly community meetings to truly communicate with us and hear our needs. As of now, he is the only candidate who has pledged to hold ongoing quarterly community meetings in all corners of the county to hear directly from the people who elected him for as long as he is sheriff. (His opponents have been captains for 12 years; but have they ever made an effort to meet and hear from you?)

I see this ambition to enhance service and restore morale to the department as positives that matter, and I fully support John Turner for Walla Walla County Sheriff.