Dear Editor,
After reading a letter to the editor in The Green River Star dated Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 entitled “Sheriff doesn’t deserve 3rd term” by Gerald Miller, I felt it necessary to express some concerns I have not only as a former employee of the sheriff’s office, but now as a member of this community.
Although I felt there may have been a little too much information in Mr. Miller’s letter, there were in fact some issues Mr. Miller touched on that I believe must be addressed.
First, as a former employee of the sheriff’s office, I can and would be willing to attest to the questionable methods the sheriff’s office uses to handle potentially embarrassing inner office incidents. Some incidents that I experience and believed should have resulted in criminal charges were simply “swept under the rug.” When Mr. Miller stated that his refusal to sway his testimony regarding the minor who was assaulted by deputies while being restrained caused him to be considered “out of the nest”, my observations in similar matters causes me to believe him.
Next, I wanted to express my deep concern for a lieutenant crashing her county issued vehicle into another vehicle while texting. What?
Do the rest of us not receive citations for such behavior? I would very much like to know if this lieutenant was cited for this incident. I would also like very much to know if this lieutenant is still employed with the sheriff’s office. If not, I would like to know how the sheriff’s office issues citations for related incidents in good conscience. I suppose we can add vehicle repairs to the list of dollar misappropriation?
Mr. Miller touched on $47,000 of Sweetwater County Funds paid out to his son in Utah to perform security on a suspect in a crime who at the time was not in custody, nor under arrest by the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office. Now I understand that this incident was investigated by an outside agency, but this incident has always baffled me. In the performance of my duties as a former detention officer, I was responsible for transporting a few inmates to the hospital for short term and long term care. I was also assigned a few times to guard a detainee while they were receiving care at our local hospital. During these times I was in constant coordination with the hospitals security team.
People, who are employed by the hospital, to provide security. Now, I realize that I am assuming here, but I do not believe that our hospital is conducting business any different than many other hospitals in the country.
In light of that, if that hospital in Utah had a security team, why would they allow a private security firm to come in and perform services that they would be able to perform themselves? I would very much like for Sheriff Haskell to address that issue for further clarification. I want to stress that I am not making any allegations, merely expressing that there are some things that just do not add up from my perspective.
Finally, I also wanted to commend Mr. Miller on his advice to vote wisely. This is so important. I have never understood people who vote party line, right, wrong, or indifferent. Although it is a person’s right to vote how they wish, why would someone not vote for the best person for the job rather than solely on political party lines?
Rob Jones
Green River
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