Highlands Today Letter to the Editor (Taxpayer-Funded Cars)

You may or may not have read the letter to the editor titled "Taxpayer-Funded Cars" in friday's paper. It can be accessed online at HighlandsToday.Com, you click on the tab on the left hand side of the page that say's "Also in Highlands Today". It will give you a few different options to click on - one of them being "Letters to the Editor".

A woman is alleging that the DARE car is seen daily at the "local coffee shop" and at the grocery store.
:roll:
There are several comments about the letter, 2 of which I made. But most of them are people bashing the Sheriff's Office & saying that all of the Deputies need to switch cars at the end of each shift.
It's the most ignorant thing I've ever heard!
Just thought maybe you all would be interested in reading it or making a comment online or perhaps writing your own letter to the editor about it?
Either way, it just goes to show you that these citizens want your help when they want you to go after someone who has "wronged" them, but then they are quick to bash you in the newspaper when they feel something you are doing isn't right. :evil:

Take home cars are part of the benefits package. I have never heard of an agency that does not offer take home cars. I believe HCSO needs to keep the take home cop cars.

Take home cars show police presence in your neighborhood. They also ensure quick response by deputies in a crisis when they are most needed. A robber is driving through a nieghborhood and sees a county car, they are probably most likely to go elsewhere.

That's right - there are many reasons why it is important that Deputy's take their cars home. Having a marked car in your driveway at night (in my opinion) would be a HUGE deterrent as to why some idiot would refrain from robbing your house or committing some other type of crime. Yes, it still happens, but it happens a lot less because of the marked cars presence. Not only that but just like I tried to point out to these morons making comments online saying that the Sheriff’s Office is wasting gas and their “tax paying dollars“. But I guarantee they don’t mind you wasting gas to respond to some bogus call to their house over their neighbors dog crapping in their yard! :shock: Every Deputy at some time or another has been dispatched to a call that they thought “What did I sign myself up for here! I cannot believe I’m standing here listening to this woman complain about how the neighbor across the street didn’t pick up their dogs poop!”. Right? They complain about the Sheriff wasting money & giving you all the $3,000. bonus, but they want you to respond to calls a trivial & ridiculous as I described. I think THEY should be charged for your time & the dispatchers time for calling up over nonsense like that!

Is Media Coverage of Police Too Hard or Too Soft?


The answer one gets to this question depends on who you talk to. Police frequently criticize the media for focusing on the negative aspects of their work, while police critics claim the media overlooks many police foibles they should be exposing to the public. Overall, it would have to be said that the attitude of the media towards the police is an ambivalent one. News feature stories of the police as truly heroic figures, who selflessly give of themselves to protect the public are surprisingly rare. However, police work is frequently glamorized by the media, and made to appear much more exciting than it actually is. On the other hand, law enforcement is looked upon by the media with suspicion largely as a response to the police's legal mandate to use force, halt citizen actions, and place persons under arrest. Deviant acts committed by the police are news stories. They fall under Gans' category of persons in positions of authority who have violated the public trust. News is made when police commit crimes or are involved in misconduct. Examples include the Miami River Cops scandal and LAPD Rampart scandal.