I enjoyed the opportunity to speak to the community today at Amigos del Valle. There were five question that each candidate was asked. Below are those question, as well as my response to each one. 1. What is your job (as Sheriff) and who do you feel you are accountable to primarily? We will all say that we are accountable primarily to the people of Hidalgo County, which we are. The difference in my opponents and I is that I will be accountable ONLY to the people of Hidalgo County and God. What sets me apart from my opponents is that I will not bend under the pressure of the political elite of Hidalgo County. I will answer to God and you, the people of Hidalgo County. 2. Will you oppose the use of military equipment, road blocks and force (personnel like National Guard) to help you do your job? As Sheriff I will ensure that any and all law enforcement activity that takes place within Hidalgo County is done in a Constitutional fashion. My job as Sheriff is to serve and protect. My job is to serve the people of the County and to protect their rights; their constitutional, God-given rights. While I will always strive to cooperate with other law enforcement agencies, I will not compromise that duty to serve and protect. Given the recent turmoil our County and our Nation has found itself in, it is more important than ever to have a Sheriff that understand his role and responsibility as the Chief law enforcement officer of the County. 3. You typically do not receive matching funds for ICE detainees. The County is operating in the red. Do you oppose collaboration with ICE? Yes or no? Why? With such a high immigrant population in the county do you feel this could jeopardize trust within the community you serve? No I do not oppose collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The people who are held in the County jail were arrested for a crime, unrelated to immigration. He or she choose to break whatever law they broke. Once in the jail ICE interviews each prisoner and determines if he or she may have also broken a Federal Immigration law. If they believe that he or she did violate a federal immigration law, a detainer is placed on that person. If the Federal Government is not holding up their financial obligations to the County then that is a separate issue that can be and would be addressed with me as your Sheriff. I can see no reason why collaboration with a Federal law enforcement agency would jeopardize trust within the community. If anything, I believe that it would build trust. Remember the answer to the previous question. So long as Federal Agencies are working within the guidelines set forth by the U.S. constitution, then the Sheriff should support their efforts to enforce the law. If the citizens do not agree with the Federal laws, then they should petition their legislators so that the law(s) can be changed. Law Enforcement officers enforce law, we do not make law. 4. U-Visas- There is a visa to help undocumented persons who are victims or witnesses of violent crimes. Those visas, the U Visas, allow people to remain here and work. Will you cooperate with the District Attorney or Judge to assist people with the U Visas? Yes. It is my understanding that the Federal Government allows 10,000 U-Visas to be issued each year to those who qualify under the guidelines set forth by the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act . While the application process and approval is a Federal matter, as law enforcement officers we are responsible for informing victims of crimes of their rights and protections offered under various Federal and State programs. Those victims who qualify under this act will find that as Sheriff I will be available to sign the proper documentation so that they can submit their petition to the proper Federal entity. This is handled on a case by case basis and certain Federal requirements are in place in order for a victim to be eligible for the program. 5. 911- The Equal Voice Housing Working group is exploring how to make 911 most effective in our county. Besides addressing issues, it is clear that not all call takers and dispatchers are adequately trained. Will you work to ensure that all call takers and dispatchers receive the necessary training according to the State mandate, are bi-lingual, and know how to use the equipment? Will you partner with the Equal Voice Network members and the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council 9-1-1 staff to inform the community about their responsibilities for 9-1-1? As Sheriff of Hidalgo County I will work toward ensuring that the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Training Academy is the premier training academy in the region. Our communications officers are a vital part of the law enforcement community. Over my years in law enforcement I have worked with communications officers who excelled and those who fell short. Unfortunately, many of those who fell short did so due to a lack of proper training. I will gladly work with the LRGVDC and Equal Voice Network members to not only inform the community of their responsibilities but to provide area law enforcement agencies a training academy that meets and exceeds the mandated standards for training of communications officers. This approach will ensure that no matter the agency, each communications officer is trained properly and able to fulfill their duties with their local agency.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 01:59:34 +0000