Wanted: Sarasota County Sheriff

[News Flash]

Wanted: Sarasota County Sheriff

http://sarasota.creativeloafing.com[/url] )]As crime rises in our area, the candidates vying to replace current sheriff Bill Balkwill face some essential questions. Do we focus on preventing crime or on making more arrests? Is prevention best effected by rehabilitating offenders or by intimidating citizens with heavy policing? Do we build a new jail or try to depopulate the old one?

We sat down with the four candidates for sheriff in an effort to distinguish each man's intentions.

In addition to the tough budget and overcrowded jail, candidates discussed diversity issues at the mostly white, mostly male department.

At the end of each interview, we gave them a pop quiz to test their readiness for the job:

What is the average inmate population at the county jail on a given day? About 1,049.

What drug is responsible for the most overdose deaths in Sarasota County? Prescription pharmaceuticals.

How many black officers at the sheriff's department bear the rank of lieutenant or above? None.

Read on to see how they scored and what else they have to say about keeping our citizenship in line. Hopefully our report will help you decide who you want to be the new sheriff in town.

Click on the names below to read about each candidate:
Larry Dunklee
David Gustafson
Tom Knight
Curt Lavarello

Article source

[quote=News Flash]Wanted: Sarasota County Sheriff

http://sarasota.creativeloafing.com[/url] )":2pc2c3ke]As crime rises in our area, the candidates vying to replace current sheriff Bill Balkwill face some essential questions. Do we focus on preventing crime or on making more arrests? Is prevention best effected by rehabilitating offenders or by intimidating citizens with heavy policing? Do we build a new jail or try to depopulate the old one?

We sat down with the four candidates for sheriff in an effort to distinguish each man's intentions.

In addition to the tough budget and overcrowded jail, candidates discussed diversity issues at the mostly white, mostly male department.

At the end of each interview, we gave them a pop quiz to test their readiness for the job:

What is the average inmate population at the county jail on a given day? About 1,049.

What drug is responsible for the most overdose deaths in Sarasota County? Prescription pharmaceuticals.

How many black officers at the sheriff's department bear the rank of lieutenant or above? None.

Read on to see how they scored and what else they have to say about keeping our citizenship in line. Hopefully our report will help you decide who you want to be the new sheriff in town.

Click on the names below to read about each candidate:
Larry Dunklee
David Gustafson
Tom Knight
Curt Lavarello

Article source[/quote:2pc2c3ke]