Take Duffy to Task

The citizens of San Diego County should be outraged by the conduct of Sheriff John Duffy. I am surprised at his temper tantrums directed toward the citizens of this county. Not only is he showing that he doesn’t care that the civil rights of the citizens are being violated in and out of the jails by his deputies, but also he is giving evidence that he lacks the ability to manage his department within a budget of more than $90 million!

He is trying to blame the Board of Supervisors by crying to anyone who will listen that he is being “picked on.” Because they won’t give him more money, he throws another tantrum and rearranges his personnel so as to jeopardize the safety of the citizens of this county.

What is needed, immediately, is a full audit of what Sheriff Duffy does with his budget. The Board of Supervisors and/or the Grand Jury should order this audit before any more money is allocated to the Sheriff’s Department. It seems that, once he gets the funds for his budget, the sheriff is accountable to no one. The chairman of the Board of Supervisors recently said, “We can’t tell him how to run his Department.”

It is high time that Sheriff Duffy is made to realize that he is accountable to the citizens of this county.

I feel sure that millions of dollars could be saved by proper management and that the past years of mismanagement have cost more than this county should have had to spend.

Nothing will be done unless the citizens of this county let our elected officials know what they want. If we don’t ask for this accounting, then we have only ourselves to blame when these abuses of power continue.

J. B. BUTLER

Vista