In Support Of Franklin

Dear Editor,

Most residents of Columbia County aren't aware of how much crime occurs around them unless they have the bad fortune to become a victim. And if you become a victim in Columbia County, the odds of catching the perpetrator are not very good now. According to the numbers I've found for 2007 through September of 2010 (Sheriff Hessler's tenure) there have been reported:

145 Assaults, with 13 arrests

93 Residential Burglaries, with 7 arrests

40 Commercial Burglaries, with 4 arrests

451 Thefts, with 9 arrests

113 Car Prowls, with 2 arrests

Domestic violence, drug and alcohol offenses follow the same pattern.

Our world has become a much more complex and dangerous place, and the demands on law enforcement have increased even more so. Law enforcement personnel deserve every bit of respect and support we can give them. Being an effective sheriff, however, is much different from being a good deputy or police officer. A sheriff must also be a good administrator in an age of increasing technical and bureaucratic demands - while budgets are shrinking.

Complaining about lack of manpower and funding is not enough. A sheriff must be able to use his manpower efficiently and effectively, and he must be able to tap state and federal sources of funding. He must know how to draw on outside resources when problems occur. He can't wait six months to search for a missing person, and he can't afford to return large amounts of funding to the state because he couldn't figure out how to use it productively. It isn't enough to have deputies in patrol cars as a deterrent. The strongest deterrent may be a good reputation for solving crimes and collecting evidence to convict offenders. A low investigation, arrest and conviction rate is just an invitation to perpetrators. Is that why the current rash of burglaries is occurring?

I worked with Walt Hessler for several years on the Ambulance Board, and I like him and respect him as a man. I would be pleased to have Walt as my neighbor, but I think Mark Franklin is a much better candidate for the office of sheriff.

Walt may be a nice guy, but Mark Franklin has much more training and experience in law enforcement, and he is tech savvy in this technological age. Mark Franklin knows how to write and secure grants for money from outside Columbia County, and he contributes a large amount of his personal time to unpaid activities that support our community. Mark Franklin has the skills and experience to use our existing manpower and budget more effectively.

Mark Franklin has also had formal training in crime-scene investigation. As I understand it, he is responsible for many of the successful investigations into local burglaries and thefts, even though he had to conduct some of those investigations on his own time. If Mark Franklin is elected sheriff, we might have a higher rate of arrest and conviction in Columbia County, along with more active prevention programs.

If you are at all concerned about local law enforcement, I encourage you to consider voting for Mark Franklin for Columbia County Sheriff.

Val Kiefer,

Dayton