still stuck on page 6!?

Why is this letter to the editor on the "back page". The only way I found it was following one of the comment links. This is truly unfortunatea and should be corrected immediately. Randall gets front page star treatment while Simmons gets stuffed where no body can find him. Sad for a news agency that is suppossed to be a champion of free speech.

By the way Tom1939, we all know you are from Detroit and have an axe to grind against Simmons. Why dont you disconnect from our servers and mind you own business. We can make an informed decision for Fayette County without your baseless rants. And when did Dave ever suggest he can prevent all youth/gang crime? That is a ludicrous assertion. Reading comprehension sir, reading comprehension.

Mr. Simmons, very well written, level headed response to Johnsons attacks on you. It is good to know you are not afraid to stand up to him or anybody else for that matter. If the way you have run your campaign is any indication of your character, leadership ability, and future management of the SO then we will be in good hands with you Sir. You are the only candidate who has truly been engaged with the public and this is what we need in our Sheriff. We have heard very little form Mindar and even less form Babb. The only thing we have heard form Hannah has been negative and relates to a silly campaign sign issue (signs in right-of-ways) and a quite serious one (confronting private citizen at his home). You are obviously the right man for the job and I think most of the mainstream voting public of Fayette County know this, even if the radical no life full-time bloggers do not. Thank you for your willingness to serve.

It is disingenuous for Dave Simmons, an experienced law enforcement officer, to suggest the FCSD can stop all crime flowing from the youth population. In fact, most crimes that plaque modern policing flow from the youth population of any community anywhere around the country. Young populations tend to commit the majority of crimes. This is not rocket science but basic police knowledge. So it is very easy to point to youth based crime and see a "problem" to create the false impression of a crime wave.

Therefore, it is disingenuous at best and dishonest at worst for Dave Simmons' to suggest the FCSD can stop these kinds of crime or every gang related incident before it happens. As William Barrett14 has suggested, the real issue is, are the few gang related incidents that do occur originating from young people within our community or from other areas of metro Atlanta and coming into the FCSD’s jurisdiction, which the FCSD has no control? And, as William Barrett14 has suggested, the law enforcement strategy then becomes to make the price of coming into Fayette County to break the law so high that young people, gang member wannabes, go something else to break the law.

This is the course the FCSD has been applying to suppress youth and gang based crime that comes into Fayette county for some time. A law enforcement professional cannot break the law to enforce the law. Applying Police Deviance (Google these terms) practices in law enforcement cost police agencies millions in lawsuit judgments from applying corrupt law enforcement practices as has been the history of the Detroit police department, Dave Simmons’ agency, that has paid out $123 million in lawsuit awards between 1988 and 2001. Writing a good letter to the editor is one thing. Actually doing good, proactive law enforcement is another.

Any experienced career law enforcement professional understands that under our US Constitution there are limitations placed on what police professionals can do in our free society to enforce the law. Dave Simmons' attempt to use the "best practices" applied by all levels of our local law enforcement professionals against them for personal political ends is a shame. The US Justice Department has standardized through federal training the methods and practices all policing systems around the country employ to suppress youth and gang related criminal activities. Almost a quarter of a century ago, in 1984, Dave Simmons attended these federal law enforcement training sessions himself.

Law enforcement officers are a brotherhood because we understand the pressures there are that stand in the way of us doing our job of providing public safety. Law enforcement officers are a special breed … when others run from danger our police and sheriff professionals run toward danger, putting their lives and families at risk.

The easiest thing a candidate for office can do is to find fault. This is easy because in a free society no law enforcement agency can totally stop the human tendency to break the law, especially among the youth. It is easy to magnify a handful of incidents into a "gang crime wave." However, closer inspection reveals other parts of the greater Atlanta area would love to enjoy Fayette County’s gang-related crime statistics and have much to learn from our methods of gang control and youth crime suppression. In fact, while Dave Simmons was assigned to the Gang Squad unit in Detroit over 30 years ago, that unit would have loved the gang related crime statistics that the FCSD regularly produces.

Detroit city historically maintains one of the highest homicide rates for young murder victims and homicide suspects in the nation. In fact, in most metro areas the majority of urban crime is youth related and has organized gang implications. Any experienced law enforcement officer knows this fact of modern criminology. For this reason, in Detroit, the Gang Squad in still attempting to get a handle on youth and gang related crime, which still is spiraling out of control negatively affecting the quality of life there. Again, it is easy for a fault-finder to find fault in Fayette County. Detroit city and Fayette County have two completely different population and crime statistics. The Detroit police Gang Squad should come to Fayette County to take lessons.

The undeniable issue in this election is one of leadership. Who will lead the FCSD? In Fayette County, there are candidates who are in the midst of their law enforcement careers, which provide some indication of their leadership potential. We have a basis and a standard to judge their qualifications for the office they are seeking to obtain. In one candidate, we have to examine his past record from decades ago to examine his qualifications for the office he is seeking to obtain. Making this comparison is necessary.

While on the Detroit police department Dave Simmons spent many years at the Gang Squad, being among the original group of command officers, a sergeant transferred from the Tactical Services Section, selected to serve in that unit when it was created over thirty years ago in 1976. Rising through the ranks while at the Gang Squad, he was never selected to lead the Gang Squad and instead left that unit in 1985. Being familiar with the circumstances of his departure from the Gang Squad unit, without being specific, one must use common-sense to read between the lines. Retired Detroit Police Deputy Chief James Younger and police investigator John Simon, both former Gang Squad unit personnel that served with Dave Simmons can provide the names of numerous other former Gang Squad personnel who will give testimony regarding life under Dave Simmons’ dictatorial command style.

Having a decade of experience at the Gang Squad unit, the Detroit police never put him in charge commanding the Gang Squad unit. Ike McKinnon, who served as Dave Simmons’ superior at the Gang Squad unit for almost a decade until McKinnon left the department in 1984, who later came back to become the Chief of Detroit police, never assigned Dave Simmons to a “superior in command” position at any Detroit police unit, bureau, precinct, or division or anywhere else on the department. This speaks volumes ... no common-sense needed to figure this one out!

Fayette County knows the law enforcement “superior in command” executive style of the other candidates for sheriff. Using common-sense and reading between the lines, does this information provide any relevant insight for making a determination of Dave Simmons’ “superior in command” qualifications to lead the FCSD?

Can Fayette County afford to have a sheriff that might destroy the morale of the department and, in addition, cause a brain drain of the FCSD by causing the top commanders to leave? Past behavior is an excellent, and many times, the best way to predict future performance. And, any law enforcement officer knows, you know a lot about a person by the company they keep. What company is Dave Simmons’ keeping in his run for sheriff?

Leadership requires earning the followership of organizational members. Would members of the FCSD want to follow Dave Simmons’ lead? A confrontational and dictatorial leadership style will cause followers to become fearful and only do the bare minimum that is required of them for fear of confrontation. Organizational stress will increase because the culture of that department will devolve into “since leadership is against us and we can’t trust leadership to have our back, we have to protect ourselves because it’s every man for himself.” This is the root cause of police stress on any policing organization; distrust, disrespect and fear of leadership that soon becomes fear and distrust of each other. This was and still is the culture of Detroit’s police department. In law enforcement, officers must trust and depend on each other for their saves and this starts at the top!

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And, if change is necessary for the FCSD it is anybody but Dave Simmons based on his past history on the Detroit police as a commander of police officers. If the Detroit police department and his friend, Ike McKinnon, noticed his pattern of dictatorial behavior and never assigned him to a “superior in command” position over police officers in Detroit why should Fayette County? Is this something we can risk if, as Dave Simmons suggest, gang violence is knocking at the door?

Most crimes are youth related and drug related. To serve as a basis of comparison, the population of Fayette County has risen by 400% but crime has dropped. Meaning the population of youths has also increased but the crimes committed from youths have gone down. In Detroit, in the 1970’s the population was 1.2 million. Today, in 2008, the Detroit population is 880,000 but the crimes have gone up among youths and gangs making Detroit one of the most violent cities in the nation. Again, most crimes are youth and drug related. This suggests Fayette County must be doing something right that Detroit police should model. Detroit law enforcement practices have nothing to offer Fayette County except knowledge of what doesn’t work.

As it stands, Sheriff Randall Johnson is leaving a department with the necessary foundation and independence to easily take the next step in its path toward excellence. Sheriff Johnson has fought in the courts to keep the FCSD an independent agency, where he isn't and never has been someone else’s puppet under their political control.

Under the right leadership, the FCSD can continue down that path toward excellence. Under the wrong leadership, the foundation and independence that Sheriff Johnson has fought in court to create and maintain will be damaged, sending the department backward. Dave Simmons’ intentions might be good but is he able to stop what his fear-mongering promises to be our future? On the other hand, will his mismanagement of the FCSD more than likely be part of the determining factors that cause his fears to manifest in our future?

Did he have any effect on youth and gang crime in Detroit and, looking at his record on the Detroit police, did his department think he did? After not doing it in Detroit and after being retired for over a decade, what makes him think he can do here what the Detroit police department didn’t trust him to do there?

Ask yourself, are my assertions regarding Dave Simmons' professional law enforcement history substantial, relevant and useful? We know almost everything there is the know about the other candidates for sheriff. Was there any other way to bring out useful background information about Dave Simmons' executive background from over a decade in the past, over 700 miles away? Therefore, is a public service being provided by bringing out this background information? Dave Simmons' supporters and campaigners have attacked me and have tried to use my motives as a red herring to shift attention ... but notice this, they never challenge the truthfulness and validity of the background information on Dave Simmons that I've posted during this election cycle.

I've read my blog and realized its pretty sarcastic and I thought about not submitting it. I asked myself why did it turn out this way. I guess its hearing about the rudeness you manifest everytime you encounter someone who differs with you. I guess those people won't blog for them self, but for me its hearing how you treat people. Plus, reading for myself about the things Tom1939 has posted about you. Nope, its how I feel and this is a forum for that.

Where do I start....

Well, Mr. Simmons, Sheriff Johnson served Fayette County for more than 32 years as Sheriff and decided to retire. Yes, he did build a a home at Lake Westpoint, if you knew much about him you'd realize that he is an advid fisherman and that is his favorite pastime and Westpoint is where he goes to enjoy his past-time. Its a short jaunt down Interstate 85, not far from his family (where he grew up and they still live). Its sure a lot closer than Detroit. By the way, aren't you two pretty close in age?

You seem to be so dismissive of Sheriff Johnson, why was it then that you told more than one person that Sheriff Johnson was supporting you when he wasn't... Now don't go Litigious on me. Can't be slanderous when its the truth, or are all of those people lying.

Local law enforcement makes arrests on activities that that have some connection to gang activities. Don't think even you can put up a border patrol to keep out gang members from driving through. Tell me, until they commit a crime, how does one keep a gang member from driving through Fayette County (On 2nd thought, that's not a question but a statement). Surely you are not suggesting that you wouldn't let a little thing such as the law get in the way of a good case would you? Oh, I get it...be tough on crime--Hey, what an idea, only problem with your plan is that Fayette County (including all of the municipal law enforcment agencies you disparage) has been doing that since before you retired from Detroit 12 YEARS AGO!

The facts are as Sheriff Johnson said they were. Local law enforcement is monitoring these "wannabes" and making cases as they occur. The goal is to discourge hoodlums from coming to Fayette when they can be much more comfortable in their own county. At the NAACP Forum/Ambush in January, your co-panelist Reverend Brown (a self admitted former gang member) who spoke immediately after you contradicted your own pious statement. He said, and I quote "Fayette County, you don't have a gang problem, you've got a wannabe problem. Fayette County, you are doing things right."

Please, for all your "vaunted" successes in Detroit, are there any fewer gangs in Detroit as a result of your "ideas" and philosophies? Not according to Forbes magazine.

T.E.A.M. - Acronyms aren't a plan. Its a cutsey way of diverting attention from the fact that you have been out of the game since 1996 and living in a gated, private security patrolled, community of $1,000,000.00 homes on a retired policeman's salary. Hardly the realm of the "in-touch" law enforcement professional you claim to be. When is the last time you had a hand in arrest? 1996? 1997? I'll bet if you checked Sheriff Johnson, you'd find that his last arrest wasn't in 1996, but what...the last 3 months?

His letter is accurate. You are fear mongering. The voters will consider every thing about you when they vote.

By the way, Harold Bost as your campaign manager, Greg Dunn putting your campaign signs up in Horseman's Run. Two discredited former politicians on your team. Go for the Trifecta, see if you can get Peter Pfiefer's endorsement! Yep... The voters will consider every thing about you when they vote.

How are you going to deal with crime, when you can even follow the law about putting your signs up. Oh thats right, you are putting them up correctly, somebody else is stealing them.

One last thing...Do you really feel like you are already the Sheriff of Whitewater?

http://www.aarp.org/