That's how the system works (05/15/06)

To the editor:

Congratulations to the winning sheriff candidates from the recent primary. The voters of Jay County made the choice of two fine individuals. There were other fine candidates running, but only one from each party could be elected. Because that is how the system works. Hopefully the reason so many were running for the office of sheriff was their willingness to serve and protect the citizens of Jay County.

Running as a career advancement would be another acceptable choice. But were a few running for sheriff because of the $$$$? Allowing for a two-week vacation period, and based on a 40-hour work week, that $100,000 salary works out to $50 per hour.

Granted there are the 3 a.m. car wrecks and the county council meetings to attend, but $50 an hour for an administrative position is not bad for Jay County. That salary figure would put the sheriff in the top five percent of wage earners in Jay County.

A portion of this salary is received from the State of Indiana (we the taxpayers), in the form of a per diem for food for the inmates of the county jail. If this is the intended use, why is it not spent on food?

Because that is how the system works.

State statute allows the sheriff to keep any unspent food money. Is it right? Is it wrong? I would feel more comfortable if the meal money could be administered by a third party. Someone that would not personally gain financially. Now there is rumor that not enough toilet paper is being provided to the inmates. Anybody making anything of this?

As to the race for the Jay County Prosecutor, not so sure that the Democratic voters got this one right. Seemed to be a lot of last minute negative campaigning in the radio announcements played the weekend preceding the vote. The radio announcements were bashing the incumbent for the use of special prosecutors and plea agreements to settle court costs.

Folks, if you don’t know, that is how the system works. If Mr. Clamme is elected in November, I will be watching the paper to see if any court cases are settled by a plea agreement. According to the campaign ads there should not be any. Will this overload the court system?

On April 24 I found it necessary to contact the sheriff’s department for a theft report. A nice deputy came out and took the report. I explained what was missing, and gave him an address to check for the missing items. I know that the report made it back to the sheriff’s office. The report was printed in The Commercial Review on April 27.

I have been waiting for an investigator from the sheriff’s department to contact me, to tell me that I would soon have the items returned.

What the report in the paper failed to tell was that I could positively identify items stolen, and that I had seen them at the address given the deputy. Why no action?

Could it be what is referred to in the movies as the “blue line”? For those that don’t know, the “blue line” is when cops protect their own. Or could it just be the “good old boy network”? Should this protection extend to relatives?

The address given the deputy to check belongs to a relative of a high profile law-enforcement officer that lives in the county. There may be occasions when it is necessary to have inter-department cooperation, but I don’t think that this is one of them.

Sometimes things are run differently in a small community. And all you can say is, “Stupid, that is how the system works.”

Steve Craig

Portland

Sorry

To the editor:

This is in concern of the article printed in last Thursday’s paper, for those of you who did not read this letter “Poor treatment.” It was the Jay County inmates trying to reach out to the people in this town because there seems to be a toilet paper shortage in the Jay County Jail, but not anywhere else, such as Wal-Mart, LoBills, etc.

I’m a taxpayer of Jay County and have been for over 20 some years. I visit the Jay County Jail every week and have been doing so for the last year and two months. I used to think it was a safe place, but after reading last Thursday’s paper, I have changed my mind. If you read this article it was all true facts indeed. They are letting the prisoners go without toilet paper for three and four days at a time, making them use what you are reading off of right now for tissue. Now come on. What kind of society is this? This comes out of your taxes. Is this right or wrong.

These inmates are being held in Jay County Jail to take some responsibility for their actions and pay their debts to society, not to be punished or treated like some kind of animal. We pay taxes and the jail can’t even give them toilet paper. This is the only thing they get free in jail. Everything else they have to buy. Highway robbery.

So where does this profit go to? To buy the cigarettes that you do keep to feed your prisoners when you taken them in your conference room (sign-in room) to get them to talk to you. The jail pumps them with cigarettes (not just one but however many it takes. I have seen it on discovery tapes). However, the Jay County Jail is a non-smoking place. Right or wrong?

I do believe the answer is right. Read the sign on the door “No Smoking.” So taxpayers, do you like buying cigarettes or toilet paper. Which is cheaper? Do you even think that this is even humane what they are doing to the inmates?

Thanks to each and everyone of you who took your time to read this and may I ask each and everyone of you taxpayers, when you go to make your next vote, think long and sure before you check the box. Make sure the vote counts and may the best man win.

Thank you and have a nice day. God bless our Jay County inmates.

Brenda Teeters

Portland[[In-content Ad]]