When I ran for Sheriff four years ago, law enforcement in
Calaveras County faced some real challenges.
I believed then that my 24-year career in Calaveras County
law enforcement made me the best candidate to confront those challenges, and I
asked for your vote. I sincerely
appreciate the trust placed in me by the voters.
Back then I pledged to fight for public safety. I pledged to put emphasis back on community
policing. I pledged to help get the jail
project back on track, and to restore trust in the Sheriff’s office.
Today, working together, we have made real progress on all
these fronts.
Despite a widely dispersed County population and an ongoing
budget crisis, with the support of the Board of Supervisors we were able to
increase the number of deputies on patrol and decrease Average Response
Times. The Average Response Time for all
calls is now 36 ¾ minutes, down around 4 ½ minutes, or 11%. For emergency calls, the Average Response
Time is now around 19 minutes, down 1 ¾ minutes, or 8%. Average Response Times are heading in the
right direction.
Overall, general crime prevention activity has greatly
increased. In 2010, the year before I
took office, the number of car stops was 1106.
In 2013 car stops were up over 300% to 3116. Checks on commercial buildings and businesses
are also up significantly, going from 21 in 2010 to 495 in 2013. Overall, violent crime is down about 17%
since 2011.
As I know personally, burglaries are a problem in Calaveras
County. So far, we have fought
burglaries to a draw, with reported burglaries-in-progress the same in 2013 as
2011, and burglaries-not-in-progress about the same in 2013 as 2011, but down
10% from 2012 despite AB109 and other issues.
We are heading in the right direction, and working together I know we
can do more.
But improving crime statistics are cold comfort to the ones
who are the victims, and nobody understands the benefits of crime prevention more than they. To try and reduce the number of crime
victims, four years ago I pledged to emphasize community policing.
A key part of our emphasis on a return to community policing
has been re-establishing a viable Resident Deputy program. When I took office there were zero resident
deputies. Today there are resident
deputies in Copperopolis, Valley Springs, West Point, and Arnold. Next on the
list is Murphys.
Emergency response is vital – it’s a big part of what we
do. But resident deputies are about more
than faster response times.
Resident deputies can know their
communities in ways patrol deputies obviously cannot.
Resident deputies allow
day-to-day communication and relationship building between law enforcement and
the citizens they are sworn to protect.
Community based policing breaks
down the “us against them” mentality that can develop between citizens and law
enforcement, and replace it with cooperation in finding solutions to day-to-day
problems and preventing crime. Successful
community based policing programs can also pay dividends during
investigations. When law enforcement is
trying to locate persons of interest, trust and community involvement can be
invaluable.
We need more resident deputies, and while I am Sheriff the
critical process of getting the right resident deputy in the right community
will continue. We are heading in the
right direction.
Another area where we have made
progress in Community Policing is the Sheriff’s Volunteers program.
The sheriff’s Volunteer group is
very important to the department. They
help immensely to stretch limited budgets as they provide critical support
services within the Department.
As Sheriff, I have worked to return the Sheriff’s Volunteers
program to the position of respect it deserves.
Today, the ranks of the Sheriff’s Volunteers are growing and the
benefits they bring to Calaveras County are increasing. We are heading in the right direction.
Law enforcement in rural communities like ours is different
than in large urban areas.
Coming from a farming and ranching
background, I understand what it’s like to lose livestock to theft and illegal
shooting.
While the rural nature of our
County makes these crimes hard to prevent, for the first time we have two
deputies who have received special training in agricultural crime, including
dealing with crop and livestock theft and vandalism.
Today, agricultural crime is heading down.
Another aspect of rural law enforcement that differs from
the inner city is the understanding and approach taken to the issuance of Concealed
Carry Weapons permits, or CCWs. By law,
the requestor of a CCW may not receive the permit unless they have taken a
certified course on gun safety and civil liability. Since being elected, the number of CCW
permits issued by my office has increased from around 350 to over 1100. I am a strong supporter of Second Amendment
rights, and I am especially pleased that the number of women becoming certified
and receiving the CCW permit has risen sharply.
Four years ago I pledged to restore public trust in the
Sheriff’s Office.
Having worked for four different Sheriffs in my career, I’ve
learned from the strengths and weaknesses of each one. One critical lesson I learned was the
importance of fair treatment for all, regardless of anyone’s ethnicity, gender,
age, sexual orientation, or politics.
That’s why from my first day as Sheriff no one has been
treated any differently than anyone else in my office. As your Sheriff, I have never treated anyone
as my political friend or my political enemy.
Everyone is entitled to equal protection and respect under the law and
while I’m Sheriff that is the way it will stay.
Working together we are moving in the right direction – but
we can’t afford to let up now.
I’m running for re-election because despite the progress
we’ve made, tough challenges remain for the Sheriff’s office.
Some have actually suggested that because we’ve made good
progress, we can afford to make deep budget cuts on law enforcement. I believe this would be the wrong
approach. As your Sheriff I will
continue the fight for public safety.
I understand the County’s fiscal situation, and the
Sheriff’s office is committed to being part of the solution to the County’s
budget crisis.
But it is important to remember that law enforcement is a
critical part of the County’s economic development potential. Who will invest in Calaveras County if it
isn’t as safe as another county? And how
much more likely is someone to invest
if we’re relatively safer? Law
enforcement is as critical a component of economic development as adequate
water or roads, if not more so.
I am a Calaveras County man.
I graduated from Calaveras High School in 1970, and after working almost
16 years as a cement mason I joined the Calaveras County Sheriff’s office in
1985. My entire 28-year law enforcement
career has been with the Calaveras Sheriff’s office. I am the father of three children and nine
grandchildren. I am dedicated to working
for a safe, prosperous, and healthy future for them, and everyone in Calaveras
County.
We need more Resident Deputies, not fewer. We need more support for the Sheriff’s
Volunteers, not less. We need even
faster emergency response times, not slower.
I’m running for re-election as Sheriff of Calaveras County
because I have demonstrated the leadership necessary to make the progress we’ve
already made. And I’m running for
re-election because I will fight to keep the gains we have made, and to do even
better.
Four years ago I asked for your vote. And to continue the real progress we’ve made
together, I respectfully ask for your vote again.
Thank you very much,
Sheriff Gary Kuntz
April 2, 2014
