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Election 2012: Citrus County sheriff: Hemrick: Drugs are out of control
Hank Hemrick is hoping the third time will be the charm.
Hemrick, who ran two previous times for the office of sheriff, is hoping his message resonates with voters against fellow Republicans Steve Burch and Winn Webb at the Aug. 14 primary.
Hemrick’s message is consistent: The sheriff’s office is top-heavy financially, eliminate take-home vehicles for what he calls non-responders and return fire rescue services to county control.
“And I am a constitutional guy. I like things done according to the Constitution,” Hemrick to the Chronicle Editorial Board.
However, Hemrick sees a clear and present danger facing the county — the drug problem.
“I will be the sheriff that will do things. We will become a major player in the war on drugs,” Hemrick said.
He said he would set up an elite task force to take on the issue head on.
“If we can reduce the drug problem, you will see other crimes decrease,” Hemrick said.
He said he would also set up a traffic unit to go after aggressive drivers and drunk drivers, but leave others alone.
Hemrick said being a constitution guy, he disapproves of officers setting up check points and stopping motorists without reasonable suspicion.
He recounted a story of an elderly driver who was allegedly stopped going 29 in a 25 mph zone and told she would not get a ticket if she agreed to a search of her vehicle. Hemrick said K-9 was called, but upon arrival, the woman was suddenly told to go on without explanation. He said those are the kind of encounters he will seek to discourage as sheriff.
“I would want all my deputies to go introduce themselves to people in the community and get to know them. Engagement is going to be a big part of what do,” Hemrick said.
He said fiscally, he would reorganize a management structure he contends accounts for nearly $2 million in pay and benefits.
Hemrick said he will cut all unnecessary expenditures and functions, but not services.
“I will have a line-item budget, unlike what we have now. My question is why can’t we the budget,” he said.
Hemrick is a retired deputy warden of the New York City Department of Corrections. Hemrick has run unsuccessfully for sheriff in 2004 and 2008. He also finished third in a three-way school board race.
Chronicle reporter A.B. Sidibe can be reached at 352-564-2925 or asidibe@chronicleonline.com.
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Not Qualified
Hemrick, continues to run for the position of Sheriff, for which he is not qualified, Hemrick has a Correctional Background, YES that is in the Law Enforcement Family, however, that does not make him Qualified to be the Sheriff.The Difference between Correctional Officers and Police Officers is like night and day.
If Hemrick was elected you would see near chaos in the Sheriffs Dept, amongst the rank and file, Cops don't take well to those who don't have the Background and knowledge to lead them, and Hemrick doesn't have that experience. I speak from experience, I am Retired, with a Police Background and was a Chief.
So Hank, put your ego back into your pocket, for another election cycle, and enjoy Retirement, you have made a couple runs at this, and failed miserably, as you will once again.
No one should construe this to be an endorsement of any of those currently on the ballot, Clearly nothing more than Reality and Fact.
Hmmm
Nice to hear you stop whining about the helicopter Hank....
Just A Thought...Anyone else have any ideas?
How about people that get controlled substance medication, be required to go to a pharmacy or doctors office (in between doctor appointments)have the pills counted & make SURE the person has the appropriate amount of medicine. It would help doctors & pharmacists better pinpoint who is likely to be abusing or selling their medicine.
Someone who doesn't have the proper amount of pills they are supposed to...instead of getting a month supply written on 1 rx, they get 1 week supply. If it happens consistently...rehab or lose your doctor. I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to have something like this implemented.
Anyone else have any ideas? I know I made alot of comments about this, but it has gone to almost Biblical proportions w this crap & people are sick of it! Might sound stupid or over the top, but it can't make the situation any worse. Something has got to be done.
Laura <
Thanks for Narrowing Down My Decision, Mr. Hemrick!
You've just lost one vote, that's for sure and when I tell my friends your plans you'll be losing a lot more! You want to crack down on Aggressive drives (Speeder's,) and DUI's and NOT Bother other drivers! Are you insane! How can you speed in this county........every other car is an old fart driving 15 miles an hour below the speed limit! Those are the one's you should focus on. So, how do you plan on cracking down on DUI's? Sitting outside every bar in this county? That's kinda illegal for such a man who is so so constitutional! Apparently, you must think of yourself as some kind of holy roller and it didn't work for ya last time and this time you lost my vote for sure! There are bigger problems to worry about than to focus on the traffic division. The war on drugs was the theme from the 80's and law enforcement has done nothing to improve this situation. In fact, it is worse than ever! You can say you'll do something but, you'll be running yourself & your staff in circles. Your intentions are good but, the implementation of those ideas are not worth exploring!
Brealistic
Every study done on the war
Every study done on the war on drugs has confirmed that not only has it only succeeded in imprisoning more Americans than any country on Earth, it increases the demand and profitability of drugs. Drugs are no doubt a problem, but a 20 year "war" on them has proved to be an unsucccessful tactic. But that's the macro.
In the micro, if you want to battle the drug problem in Citrus County - more arrests won't equal less crime. People commit drug crimes because they can't control their short-term impulses when deprived of drugs. This gets to the root of the flaw in the drug war. The harder they are for an addict to get, the more likely they will be to commit a crime to obtain the drugs.
Quality treatment works. Fix people. Throwing them in prison where they become more well-trained criminals might help some, but it doesn't help the problem. 20 years of this data confirms it has not worked. I'm a fan of closely monitored treatment probation with stiff penalties for violation. At least, it works better.
He's wrong about the war on drugs. I like his constitutional beliefs. But in the end, considering any leader for any post, they need to have experience that qualifies them. I believe a retired deputy warden in NYC gives him supervisory experience, but law enforcement experience is essential for me.
- Wincocked
Hmmm, dare I say it?
Damn fine logic and research with at least a modicum of knowledge beyond the hype and press coverage. I agree, but would add one critical point. Or two.
The end-users, the drug dependent, the drug abusers, might be/could be/should be treated less as criminals and more as problematic personality disorders. But, and here's a big one. the people that feed those problematic tendencies are a whole different breed.
I'm talking about the meth lab operators, the grow house producers, the oxy stealing strongarms and the xanax pushing pill mills as the root of all this particular evil. The greed for the buck, not the love of success by gainful contribution.
And let's not fall into the "legalize every substance" wormhole. Legalizing organic products is a major world away from producing debilitating items that can kill with a slight miscalculation. And, feeding the problematic people does nothing to curb the demand for what can be produced or acquired cheaply and sold for hefty profits.
It will take both a change in targeting and treating the dependencies (which is part of the premise to control demand) and refocusing the efforts of legal procedures (prescription overhaul, tougher mandatory penalties on producers, not traffickers), and a less politically correct attitude in general in re: love 'em pray for 'em but don't send MY kid to rehab.
Fixing people is a tall order, especially when you consider trying to fix the enablers from pusher to priest to parents. But there it is.
And the other shoe of keeping law enforcement on the offensive is just this...make it all legal and the only thing accomplished is making the product more available. It doesn't put more money in the hands of desperate people looking for a reality escape, ergo no change in crimes for money. And the grow houses and pill producers won't change the pricing structure just because it's legal...look quickly at the pricing in California for "medical" marijuana. And the increase in mom n pop gardens taking advantage of the opportunity to turn a buck, making themselves in turn a target for both robbery and retaliation by the heavy hitters and the gang bangers.
And last, by far from least, is the half-hearted attempt to get the streets under control. This is not Bolivia or Mexico; the cops know who is who and the local bangers aren't sporting assault vehicles and ranks of trained militia carrying automatic weapons at every turn. Hit em, hard. And make damn sure there's a better balance between the plea deal offers approved by judges and rights of the taxpayer to have a neighborhood free of stoners crashing into porches and drug mavens gunning down kids during a drive-by trying to mark turf.
Yeah, it gets deep once your past the cliches~. ( I did say I agreed with you, didn't I? well, mostly, anyway)
JustAmazed
Good Thoughts
Another candidate with good thinking that is diametrically in conflict with the current paradigm. Burch, Hemrick, and Webb all show some measurable qualities that have been lost along the way of Sheriff Dawsy's career. It hasn't been all bad, though, either.
However, this year the lines are more clearly seen, the arguments a little clearly made, the points a lot more on the front burner and Sheriff Jeff is a little too long in the tooth and involved too often in the political scuffles. Well, thankfully he's not a media hound like Grady Judd.
Still, this year will see a change. Long live the King...and I'll say thanks to our current Sheriff before the bell tolls.
JustAmazed