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The race for...Gwinnett Sheriff
Two Republican candidates for Gwinnett County Sheriff will be on the ballot challenging incumbent Sheriff Butch Conway in the July 20 primary election. The winner of the primary will take the seat, as there are no Democrat challengers. As part of the Gwinnett Daily Post’s election coverage, a questionnaire was sent to each candidate. Answers were limited to 50 words. OUESTION AND ANSWER 1. If elected, what will be your highest priority as sheriff, and how will you address it? 2. Do you support the use of Tasers to subdue inmates? 3. In the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, what steps would you take to further secure and make safe the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center and the jail? 4. What are the solutions to inmate overcrowding at the jail? 5. Do you support 12-hour shifts for deputies, which the department is currently experimenting with to cut overtime costs? 6. There is one deputy assigned to gang intelligence, and the department coordinates the ADVANCE program (Avoiding Drugs, Violence and Negative Choices Early) for Gwinnett public school fifth graders. Should more be done to combat gangs?
R.L. “Butch” Conway 1.To continue providing the highest quality law enforcement services and perform our constitutional duties —maintaining the jail, providing court security and serving warrants and civil papers — at the highest possible level. It is also imperative that we open the new jail expansion in the most effective manner possible. 2.Tasers save lives and prevent injuries to our deputies and offenders. There has been much controversy recently, but I have found no evidence of a single death attributed to Taser use. I refuse to play politics with the safety of my deputies. I firmly believe Tasers are safe and effective. 3.We are still recommending the improvements we asked for in 1997 at the courthouse, which includes full building security. My advice has been to provide full building security with X-rays and screening stations at the building entrance. We provide the highest level of protection our budget allows and that will continue. 4.The 1,400-bed jail expansion approved by voters to be completed in 2006 will end the current overcrowding situation. I also plan to lobby the state for a state-operated detention center, which will remove several hundred probation violators from the jail. 5.We are running a pilot program of housing units on 12-hour shifts. If found to be viable, these shifts will reduce the overtime required to operate the jail. Deputies will actually work 52 fewer days a year. This would save 21,000-plus commutes to work, which helps our traffic congestion. 6.Yes, but this is all the Sheriff’s budget currently allows. We assist and provide support for the police department, who are primarily charged with this task. The neighborhoods that currently attract gangs must be revitalized. This is a community problem, not just a law enforcement problem. It takes everyone working together. Stan Hall 1.Overcrowding at the jail has to be the main priority of any administration and must be resolved before concentration can be focused on other initiatives. Overcrowding is the nucleus of all issues that take place at the jail based on increased demands for staffing, budget, etc. This problem can be corrected through initiatives such as alternative sentencing, house arrest and other proposals that are already in place in other jurisdictions. 2.I support the use of certain devices that must be in place in any detention center to control unacceptable inmate behavior. The Taser is one of many that are available for this purpose. My problem with the Taser is there seems to be no unbiased study of inmate related deaths that occurred after inmates were controlled by the use of the Taser. Until this occurs from an entity that has no financial interest in the device, I would look hard at whether or not to continue the use of this device. 3.While I am not sure Gwinnett is ready for an airtight environment at the Justice Center, in the near future it will be necessary. I think we must look at the concerns of free and easy access, and the well-being of the many people who come to this facility and expect to do their business in a safe environment. Absent a true security seal, this may be impossible to guarantee. 4.Overcrowding at the jail has to be the main priority of any administration and must be resolved before concentration can be focused on other initiatives. Overcrowding is the nucleus of all issues that take place at the jail based on increased demands for staffing, budget, etc. This problem can be corrected through initiatives such as alternative sentencing, house arrest and other proposals that are already in place in other jurisdictions. 5.I think that a 12-hour shift at the jail is a mistake. While I understand that it may be a cost-cutter from the expenses that large overtime hours bring, I believe that 12 hours in a stressful and often hostile environment is not acceptable. I believe that there are other alternatives to staffing without taxing the physical limitations of those deputies who are already in a tough situation. 6.As a part of the programs that I will implement as budgets allow, drugs and gangs from a proactive stance will be a priority. I will utilize faith-based initiatives, along with law enforcement programs to steer these young people into a life that has real possibilities. The other thing that I can bring to the Sheriff’s office is a coalition that has been developed over the last 26 years during my law enforcement career. Brian Whiteside 1.To put in place a division on cost saving, we have inmates who steal $5 in goods and they sit in jail for upwards of two to three months, costing over $21,000. Such cases need to go before a judge for a decision to find these people guilty or innocent in an explicit manner. Each day an inmate sits in jail costs the county $25, plus attorney fees. 2.First, my sympathy goes out to the families of the persons who died, and also to the deputies, because traumatic stress is one of the biggest problems of police officers. Due to the last two deaths of inmates and the lack of conclusive research, I can’t support the Taser. If the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, or of course Purdue, stated it was safe, I may consider it. 3.I would allow no cars to pass within 50 yards in front of the Court. I would ask to expand parking. I would ask for an X-ray machine on both sides of the building. Currently, only the court side is protected. I would take the storage lockers from the front of the X-ray, because bombs or guns could be stored there. I would have a motor patrol circle the building and have two foot patrol officers. 4.People stay in the pretrial Detention Center too long awaiting trial and wasting taxpayer money. One solution is to create court liaisons who work with the judicial branch state attorneys to speed persons to trial. Also, full-time jail courts need to be in place for both probation violators and low-level misdemeanors. 5.No. It is too hard on personnel and their families. Most cops work four to five jobs. They would lose their part-time jobs and their families. If we stop overcrowding, we stop the 12-hour shift. 6.I suggest corporate sponsorship and private funds to help pay for combating gangs. The key is to have a highly educated next generation of children. We need before and after-school programs that are based on education, recreation, and personal skills that prevent crime and gang involvement. Hall County and Barrow County have after-school programs that cost parents $25 a week. <--> |
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