Glad I don't live in a place like that, Ted, but things are not perfect here either. Several years ago our good ol' boy sheriff finally decided to retire from the office which he had held for 36 years. Our county elected it's first black sheriff, much to the surprise of many. I supported him 100%, including with my dollars. The drug culture I mentioned was rampant toward the end of the old sheriff's last term. When campaigning the black sheriff (to-be) made a vow to reduce overall crime by 50% in his first year of office. He was elected and made sweeping changes to the way the office of sheriff addressed crime. The last year the old sheriff was in office there were 12 murders in our rural, primarily agricultural, county. The first year of the new sheriff's term that dropped to 1. He busted the drug peddlers and pushers that had been given a pass for years and overall crime dropped like a lead balloon. He absolutely delivered on his campaign promise, and then some.
This sheriff is running for reelection right now and has a lot of support, but the old former sheriff, many believe, is pushing all kinds of efforts to have him unseated, IMO because he sees his own "legacy" as being soiled by the ongoing efforts, successes and support of our "new black sheriff". It's a shame we cannot put to death the old southern stereotype sheriff image that still tries to put a stranglehold on honest law enforcement. Our black sheriff is a personal friend of mine, and I'm supporting him for reelection, with my voice, my prayers, and my dollars. Old established ways often die hard, and politics can be a dirty, dirty business.
Best of luck to your current sheriff in the election, Stan. It's always good news when a politician not only makes promises you support, but then follows up on them. We need to get good ones into office . . . and support them.
