County Commissioners and School Board Members,

I’d first like to thank you for your committed and continual service to our community. I worked for the Sheriff’s Office for over 31 years and four Sheriff’s. I am concerned with Sheriff Knight’s lack of fiscal responsibility. If you were to look at his spending every year since he came into office; specifically, from June 1 to September 30 of each year, you may find a pattern of fiscal irresponsibility. You see, this is what he calls Christmas in September. This is where he directs his command staff to solicit ideas and items that bureau commanders want for their troops. These items would not be on the normal capital spending list. This is where he takes the money that he would have to give back to the county that he had not spent and he purchases items that people want, not necessarily need. I know this as I sent my list as directed every year. There are times he purchases things on his capital spending list for the next fiscal year but there are always toys built into the spending.
It is my belief that he could have funded a School Resource Officers Unit with this end of year money, every year he was in office. I don’t understand how he can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for overtime in the jail and not have money for an SRO Unit or even funding enough officers to fill the daily requirements for the patrol division. The Sheriff wrote policy when we went to 19 zones and in that policy, he stated that there would be a minimum of 19 deputies on the road. This has not been the case since Paul Richard became a Captain. He would routinely violate that policy by ordering the watch commanders to send home back filled zones. I know this as I was one of those commanders. That decision making almost cost an officers life on several occasions.
It is my opinion that the Sheriff does not have the best interest of the community in the forefront of his decision making. I believe, based on what I have observed, that his ego is what drives his thought process. That was demonstrated with his texting and berating of other political officers and then blaming his buddy for controlling his thoughts. I just thought you might like to take a look at what he is spending end of year money on so he doesn’t have to give it back and yes, he brags about that too.

Respectfully,

John Kost


John F. Kost, President
Kost Security Solutions
202-683-9003 Office
FBI-NA 232

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