Derrick Broughton for Sheriff Responds to League of Women Voters Guide

View the League of Women Voters 2012 Voter Guide

Describe your education, training, and experience that qualify you for this position.

I am Derrick T. Broughton, Democrat candidate for Sheriff of Douglas County, Georgia.

www.broughton2012.com

It will be an honor to serve the citizens as sheriff. I am qualified with twenty (20) years experience in law enforcement as Deputy Sheriff. During my service I have received over 1000 hours of specialized training and experience in various positions within the sheriff’s department. Some of the positions and experience include:

Medical First Responder, Juvenile Court / Warrant Services, Reserve Special Operation Division, Community Relations Unit, Crisis Intervention Officer, Court House Security, Transfer Extradition Unit, Jail Booking & Intake, Family Violence Unit Warrants /Court Service.

I am pursuing a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice at Ashford University.

What will be your top priorities during your term of office and how will you address them?

As Sheriff of Douglas County, I will immediately seek accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA®).

I believe accreditation is essential to improving the professionalism of the sheriff’s department. It will bring Douglas County up to national standards, instill public confidence, improve moral and provide better policing policy to protect the public, with better service delivery and reduce liability for the government and taxpayers. Accreditation by CALEA will improve medical standards and care of inmates and eliminate the tragic and wrongful deaths of inmates that have plagued the Douglas County Jail for years and have resulted in criminal indictments of jail staff and law suits.

As Sheriff, my staff will not become scapegoats for unprofessional policies. My goal will be to improve policies and professionalism within my department.

What programs would you advocate in your county to help rehabilitate inmates and reduce recidivism?

I support the bipartisan efforts of Gov. Deal and the legislature to address juvenile justice reform and recidivism. Currently Georgia is spending $250 per day on each juvenile detainee, yet juvenile recidivism has reached 50%.

I will work with the governor, legislature and the Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform to focus our attention on better solution in juvenile justice. The current policies are not working.

I also support special courts and alternative programs which can address many of the problems that face our youth. By partnering with churches, civic groups and mentoring and other locally based programs, we can deduce recidivism and lower crime rates.

We, as a community, must address mental health and drug addiction issues and focus on treatment. Incarceration alone fails to address these issues. I will utilize available funding for drug and mental health treatment. We must reserve bed space for the most dangerous and violate offenders. We can address many of these issues before young people become offenders.

What special action would you take to promote good county-city law enforcement relationships?

Communications is the key to working with the Douglasville Police Department, Georgia State Patrol and state and federal agencies. Each have their jurisdictions but often must work together to prevent, investigate and solve crimes.

As sheriff of Douglas County I will work with other agencies to assist and support their effort to provide a safer community. I will meet regularly with the police chief and staff to assure the sheriff’s department is providing appropriate support in our law enforcement duties such as joint task forces.

What is the top law enforcement challenge in your area, and if elected, how would you address it?

Crime prevention is the #1 challenge. It’s not enough to just respond to crimes scenes. We must take a proactive role in preventing crimes and reducing the opportunity for criminals to commit crimes. This will involve participation from the public. We can educate home and business owners how to better protect their properties and reduce the opportunities for crime. Neighborhood patrolling and protection of local businesses will be my priority.

As sheriff, I will work with local businesses and neighborhood association on crime prevention. The number one complaint I hear from the public is response time. I will make sure we have the maximum number of officers on the street and able to respond in a timely fashion. I see to many sheriff cars parked in the parking lot at the sheriff’s office. I will put these cars into service patrolling our streets. Property owners devise protection and our support.

I will appreciate your support on November 6.

www.Broughton2012.com

Thank you, Derrick T. Broughton