Some thoughts on the Jail crisis
For those of you who are unfamiliar with how I operate, I firmly believe in the ability of citizens to effect change without having to hold an official government position. Which means that, win or lose, I am all in — I am currently doing my part to tackle problems that face our community, and I will continue to do so regardless of the outcome of the County Commissioner election. That being said, here are some notes of my recent efforts to solve the crime crisis.
Citizen Town Hall (Aug 2023) — I spoke up about the increase in local lawlessness in Coos County. I made a direct plea to Commissioner Rod Taylor to sign an emergency declaration at the next commissioner meeting. After many in the community testified to the sharp rise in criminal activity, my main question that night for local leadership was “How is this not an emergency?” My research shows that an local emergency declaration can be used to redirect funds to the jail, remove barriers preventing the hiring of more jail employees, request additional state and federal funding, and potentially impose curfews in certain areas of high crime and drug use. Why has this option not been explored?
A noteworthy moment from the Citizen Town Hall this summer was one lady’s passionate plea to the leaders of Coos County. She said: “We need someone strong to speak for us. I really hate feeling like we have a community that’s been lost, forgotten. We’re not getting help.” Hearing her words that night was one of the main catalysts for this campaign. I agree wholeheartedly with her sentiment — I aim to be that “someone strong to speak for us” whom she and so many others have been searching for.
Law Enforcement Panel (Nov 2023) — I spoke with Commissioner John Sweet and Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio about the misleading narrative that the jail has a FUNDING problem. I will concede that it is true if the county continues on its current path, we will not have enough money to balance the budget next year. However, the immediate issue with the jail is a PERSONNEL problem, a fact that Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio has attested to many times — he has the budget to hire enough jail deputies, but lacks the necessary amount of qualified candidates.
I spoke with the Sheriff about options to relax the requirements for candidates and it turns out they had recently increased the testing options from only one national standardized test, to a second testing option that he hoped would appeal to more candidates. While that is good news, it is these types of solutions that should have been explored on Day 1 of Gabe’s term in office. I personally know applicants who have been rejected due to that first testing option that would have most likely passed the second testing option if it was available earlier in the year. These applicants have also not been notified (to this day) that a second testing option is available, which would potentially increase the pool of qualified candidates. More candidates = More deputies = More jail beds = Less criminals in our neighborhoods.
These smaller issues may not seem important, but each of these smaller issues contributes to the much bigger issue which ultimately brings us to our current situation where our local criminal justice system is grossly non-functional.
To be continued…