I read with interest your article concerning Sheriff Paxton’s decry of not enough funding for his department.
I would like to offer several suggestions to help use the taxpayers money more efficiently, balance the sheriff’s office budget, and provide the necessary services to the citizens of Forsyth County.
I frequently pass deputies parked in shopping centers chatting with each other, the engines running on their gas guzzling cruisers. I went to place an order for a pizza at a local establishment recently, and the same two deputies had been there for over 30 minutes when I came out. Maybe they should turn off their engines while visiting with each other.
Over the years, I have witnessed on Lake Lanier deputies frolicking in ski boats and on jet skis, serving no apparent purpose other than entertaining themselves.
Eliminate these unnecessary toys. By my count, there are already at least three other law enforcement agencies patrolling the same waters every weekend. Are there so many criminals on the lake on a Sunday afternoon that we need one more bureaucracy to “protect” us?
Vehicle equipment is another avenue of cost savings. When ordering prison vans, is it really necessary to order the extra cost “chrome appearance package?” Surely the prisoners enjoy riding in “pimped” vehicles, but is it really a necessary expense?
On any given weekday morning, I will pass five to six patrol cars between my home and the 4 miles to Ga. 400. Personally, I would feel just as safe with a 50 percent reduction of staff of the sheriff’s department. Of course, I would only pass three patrol cars on my 4-mile drive then.
In closing, private businesses have had to make major changes in their expenditures to survive. I understand the difficulty for a politician to reduce spending when the funds come from someone else’s earnings. As a businessman, and concerned citizen of this county, I would gladly offer Mr. Paxton my services, free of charge, to help bring his budget in to line. I believe there is plenty of waste that, when eliminated, could even create a surplus for the county taxpayers.
Benjamin Morris
Suwanee
I would like to offer several suggestions to help use the taxpayers money more efficiently, balance the sheriff’s office budget, and provide the necessary services to the citizens of Forsyth County.
I frequently pass deputies parked in shopping centers chatting with each other, the engines running on their gas guzzling cruisers. I went to place an order for a pizza at a local establishment recently, and the same two deputies had been there for over 30 minutes when I came out. Maybe they should turn off their engines while visiting with each other.
Over the years, I have witnessed on Lake Lanier deputies frolicking in ski boats and on jet skis, serving no apparent purpose other than entertaining themselves.
Eliminate these unnecessary toys. By my count, there are already at least three other law enforcement agencies patrolling the same waters every weekend. Are there so many criminals on the lake on a Sunday afternoon that we need one more bureaucracy to “protect” us?
Vehicle equipment is another avenue of cost savings. When ordering prison vans, is it really necessary to order the extra cost “chrome appearance package?” Surely the prisoners enjoy riding in “pimped” vehicles, but is it really a necessary expense?
On any given weekday morning, I will pass five to six patrol cars between my home and the 4 miles to Ga. 400. Personally, I would feel just as safe with a 50 percent reduction of staff of the sheriff’s department. Of course, I would only pass three patrol cars on my 4-mile drive then.
In closing, private businesses have had to make major changes in their expenditures to survive. I understand the difficulty for a politician to reduce spending when the funds come from someone else’s earnings. As a businessman, and concerned citizen of this county, I would gladly offer Mr. Paxton my services, free of charge, to help bring his budget in to line. I believe there is plenty of waste that, when eliminated, could even create a surplus for the county taxpayers.
Benjamin Morris
Suwanee