Waco
– Country 100 deejays Zach and Jim held a straw poll yesterday. The
question: Parnell McNamara, or Randy Plemons for McLennan County
Sheriff.
Parnell
McNamara won going away in a landslide with 90 percent of the votes
cast to one out of 10 on the part of Chief Deputy Randy Plemons.
Said
Marshal McNamara's fiance Charlotte Kosub, “Thank you Zach and
Jim!”
With all the problems with the jail why would you want to elect an insider and key decision maker that is responsible for the mess we currently have had and still have. Not only is Parnell McNamara a real lawman he is a businessman and will put our jail back in the hands of McLennan County where it belongs and not some New Jersey Corporation. Marshall McNamara is the only choice. Jim Hix
ReplyDeleteIts a well known fact that around the Sheriff's office that its a standing order: Deputies will NOT be allowed to work security at ANY event endorsed or put on by by ZACH AND JIM" Been that way for years now.Hmmm... Im sure its aggravating the H** out of the administration to have to STOOP to deal with this particular media source. And im sure you are not sure who's side, in this race, is really going to come out ahead in the end. Or for that matter how to take that piece of information
ReplyDeletePlemons is proud that he is over a 26 million dollars budget that just went to 28 million that should be 20 million,I wish the trib and regina would go look at the taxpayers office for Plemons and Lynch.See the taxpayers money.
ReplyDeleteLet me give you some facts of what they don't want you to know. The Agriplex drug task force was federally funded. In approx 2006 all task forces in the state were defunded and closed. Mainly due to 9/11 and re allocation of money to fight terrorism. Mclennan county commissioners then funded several narcotic position paid for by the county to continue efforts in combating the drug trade in our county. I personally knew the narcotics agents that worked for the county and the kind of work that was performed. Remember several yrs back when over 600 lbs of marijuana was seized. You guessed it Mclennan county took lead on that investigation. They were apart of many money andit asset seizures that never made he news for fear the commissioners would dock the budget. They ran multiple search warrants in this county and also as assists in warrants in numerous Tx border towns. When the Sheriffs Dept moved into the new building this narcotics unit was closed and all the Agents were moved into CID. The Sgt of the narcotics unit retired and that position was moved to patrol so its not even in CID. My point is this administration is lying about the efforts to enforce the drug trade. There hasn't been any effort since they closed the unit down. I believe they were caught up in Dept politics because the CID Lt wanted total control. Why would they close this unit and waste all the money it took to build it. Why would u waste the talents and experience of highly trained narcotic agents that took years to get where they were at. Who knows what happened to all of the expensive equipment the unit had. You wanna know truth ask the right questions. Look up the records in commissioner court where they funded positions for the unit. Hell ask Lester Gibson he lead the fight to get the unit funded. There were many lies told in the debate.
ReplyDeleteYou can see Plemons office, in those endorsement videos he's had filmed. I thought it was an ethics violation to use county resources for personal gain like a political campaign. But then Plemons and Lynch are no strangers to ethics violations. I do know Lynch was fined by the Ethics Commission for "mispresenting", otherwise known as "hiding" in plan language, the amount of money he had tucked away in his campaign fund. He was fined not once, not twice, but for three years of "mispresenting" the amount in his campaign fund.
ReplyDeleteSo why isn't Regina digging deeper into these stories about Plemons. Has Plemons and company done what they have threatened her to start treating her like they do all the other "malcontents", aka "the general public", and stop giving her information in timely manner? I guess that's just another failure in Plemons' campaign promise to keep the level of transperancy in the Sheriff's Office. It's the same level of transperancy as the bricks that house the opaque fortress that Plemons and Lynch currently hide from public view when the public has questions about things like how they were blindsided by sudden overbudget problems that should have come to light 5 months ago, and will end up costing the taxpayers extra millions. Now it won't cost us as much as their screwed up plan for the Harwell Center that can't stay in compliance long enough to gain any contracts to make money to pay back the money they owe while leaving McLennan County taxpayers on the hook for $49 million that we had no say in them spending.
On May 29th, it's time for McLennan taxpayers to send a message that the status quo in the Sheriff's Office has already cost us millions too much. Plemons has already cost us taxpayers an additional $2.5 million this year, imagine the damage he can cause in 4 years. It's time to bring in a man who has more actual law enforcement experience then the current Sheriff, Chief Deputy, and 3 Captains combined. Add to that his over 4 decades of experience as a successful businessman, and Parnell McNamara offers an overwelmingly powerful choice as a real lawman with real administrative experience.
According to records, the federal grant that funded the Agriplex Drug Task Force still exists today and is still providing millions in grant money in the fight against drug trafficing today. There are other programs available as well in connection with the DEA, but under the current administration, our Sheriff's Office won't take part in it.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of department politics in our Sheriff's Office today. Of course look at the examples the department has seen. A deputy illegally fills out paperwork to keep candidate Plemons' house from having a lien placed against it for his non-payment of his agreed to credit card debt. People were demoted to make room for this deputy to move up the ladder to the rank of captain. There have been other examples of these types of good old boys promotion to go along with this one. If one truly looked at the department today, most would not support Plemons, but they've all seen what happens when you don't do exactly what administration wants. You make a small mistake, demotion. You talk to someone the administration doesn't like, demotion. You have a commitment to the armed services and are activitated, demotion. You have to be hospitalized, demotion. Right now most of the dempartment is split, with the downtown department at least superficially behind Plemons. While most of the jail employees are firmly behind McNamara, since they can't be demoted to the jail, since they already are there.
I will be glad to see McNamara take office and give the county a department that is allowed to do their jobs, since under current administration, they have a huge lack of experienced law enforcement in leadership roles. Out of the top 5 people in the department, only 2 have any real law enforcement experience, and one of those having very limited experience. So that really leaves 1 out of 5 who has real law enforcement experience. No wonder Sheriff's Office arrests are not part of the problem of the increase in arrests driving jail population up.
All this banter of the brownshirts is scary to me. Just how successful were those Glory Days of the Drug Task Force? It may have been fun and exciting, but did it do any good more than temporary? If so, why does McLennan County remain an overtaxed, drug infested ghetto? Get over it and past it, learn a new way of thinking and funding...for the better of us all.
ReplyDeletePlease watch this video link and listen carefully to what is said:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/need-to-know-friday-march-30-2012-justice/13455/
Thank you, Mr., Mrs., Ms. Anonymous! That was as fine an example of critical thinking as I have ever seen written. The rhetorical question as to "...why does McLennan County remain an overtaxed, drug infested ghetto" doth resound, I say.
ReplyDeleteI think the abusive standards imposed by hard economic conditions, prohibition of feel-good drugs, zero defect and zero tolerance enforcement standards, and the very real practice of for-profit corporate corrections molds an industrial standard that is geared to provide as much profit for the smugglers, dealers, bondsmen, lawyers, corrections and law enforcement officers - all of whom make an adequate living off the misery of very sick, addicted people. There is definitely a way to win this game. You just refuse to play. Anything else dooms a contestant to abject misery and a short life of utter folly. - The Legendary
I agree with what you say Legendary. However, let me add another big player in the profit theory you missed - the pharmaceutical companies. The advent of synthetic heroin painkillers, prescribed by a doctor for a legitimate ailment to many who would otherwise abstain makes the sales go up, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteAnd the problem with the for-profit jails is not so much they are inferior by offering less pay or by not meeting standards, the usual complaints. The baddest thing they do to us is, driven by their profit motive, they lobby our legislators to add more crimes and longer sentences not for the public good, but for their own good. Most people don't understand this, but it is really misguided and inherently wrong.
And I just saw an interesting segment on CNN that demonstrates how the distribution of drugs shifts around. Florida was a haven for phony pain clinics a few years back and they shut them down. Then robberies of pharmacies and use of street heroin both increased. Most recently both CVS and Walgreens distribution centers are being investigated for inexplicable increases in movement of pain killers in the last couple of years.
ReplyDeleteSort of like herding cats, isn't it?
I think that is a big 10-4, for sure, for sure - just like two birth control pills, okay? The key to this conundrum is to open up lines of communication, provide facts and establish a dialogue that is unflinching in the examination of a problem that just does not go away - ever - without this kind of public dialogue.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how you fix it, the end result of playing this game on any level is to lose, lose, lose ground to addiction to harsh chemicals. The only way to play the game and win is to absolutely refuse to play the game. Sunlight is the greatest disinfectant of all. Those who have never seen or heard of illicit street drugs never, ever use them. Crystal, crack, cocaine, pills for pain and any powder or potion that establishes physical dependency very quickly is a stone body poison. Believe it. Creating a culture of us vs. them in regards to what is allowed to melt in the mind is a guaranteed path to polarization, hate and psychological warfare between those who do and those who choose to shine it on.
I think making a profit off the demise of the sunlight of the spirit is an evil thing to do to people. Detection of crime, custodial detention of accused offenders and convicted felons and misdemeanants is a ministerial duty of the elected representative of the People of the State of Texas, the Sheriff.
When you introduce the profit motive for investors, financiers, bond salesmen and coupon clippers, you have turned that unfortunate fact into a profit center, and it's bad news. If you don't believe it, just look at the figures.
The people who have the privilege of voting one way or the other in McLennan County hold the key to the economic future of your community. Give them some air; let them breathe, and hope for the best. - The Legendary
The federal grant that funds task forces is called the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG). It was named after a NY city police offier that was killed in the line of duty by drug dealers in 1988. It does still provide grant money to certin areas but not in Texas. Most areas that still have so called task forces do so through joint partnerships with other agencies that also share the cost. Not only do they share the cost but put the seizure money back into the program so it will pay for itself. Let me tell you how successful the glory days of the Agriplex task force was. On average they made between 200-300 FELONY arrests PER year. That alot of drug dealers and users that are not on the streets. Alot of the seizure money was used to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars of equiptment. Like computers in the patrol cars saving tax payes alot of money. The county commissioners did do the right thing and fund the Sheriffs Dept own drug unit that was having continued success. That is until the administration pulled the plug with absolutly no just cause. Now there is NO drugs seized, NO assets seized, NO money seizures or vehicles, which alot were put into service also saving TAX payers. So you ask why is this county drug infested. Maybe you need to re read what I just wrote and open your eyes. This administration has lied to everyone. There is NO drug enforcement efforts being made but Plemons sure will jump all over a puppy mill to get on TV........
ReplyDeleteNo drug seized, no assets seized, no money seizures or vehicles; but the Plemons is wanting the taxpayers to pay an additional $2 million dollars to his private jail friends. I know there are those that keep wanting to say that Commissioners brought CEC to the table, but that's not right. Lynch and Plemons brought them to the table. According to Texas Administrative Code, ONLY the Sheriff can approve a privately run detention center. The Commissioners can pass motion after motion in Commissioners Court it doesn't matter. It's strictly a power of the Sheriff.
ReplyDeleteNow they blame it on other law enforcement departments stepping up their enforcement efforts. Which I am left wondering why our Sheriff's Office under the "veteran" law experience of Plemons has not done the same. Could it be because there is only 1 person of the 5 top officials in the Sheriff's Office that have any real law enforcement experience. Well I guess there are 2 since one other actually discharged his weapon while on duty, even though he only managed to hit himself while sitting in a car. He made up for it by illegaly filing paperwork that kept creditors from foreclosing or putting a lien on Plemons house when his bad financial management first came to light.
Plemons did make an attempt to make up for his lack of law enforcement experience by exending his authroity and court orders that gave the puppy mill 30 days to bring their standards up. Instead he rescued these "endangered" animals, with a complete overkill of department resources for a media event, that the vet who examined them said they were well feed and well socialized. In fact the only problem she reported were their coats were dirty. I guess by those standards, Child Protective Services should remove every child and teenager in need of a bath from their home. And this was so tradgic and so blatant mistreatmentof animals that so far there is an amazing zero arrests. I guess when a law enforcement officer doesn't follow judge's orders, that's what happens. An experienced officer would know that.
To sum things up, not only has the Sheriff's Office under the Lynch and Plemons cut programs that lessened the burden on taxpayers, but they are now costing the taxpayers an additional $2 million in addition to their already inflated budget of $26 million. They continue to think administrators, who have no experience or interest in law enforcement should run the highest law enforcement office in the county. Texas Administrative Code labels the Sheriff as the highest law enforcement OFFICER in the county. The only person who has the actual law enforcement experience and administrative experience is Parnell McNamara.
So why would Plemons and Lynch get rid of a unit that was not only targeting drug dealers, but also providing for a savings to taxpayers by bringing in revenue in the form of seizures? I don't see how McLennan County keeps doing business with guys like this over the largest budget in the county, which due to their poor management and administration keeps inflating their budget by millions at a time. The Sheriff's Office seems to be more about soaking up taxpayer money while providing less and less of a serve to the public. Sounds like the same big government policies currently failing in Washington. I for one will never vote for a socialist! I will not vote for Obama, and I won't vote for Plemons!!!!
ReplyDeleteI heard that recently Plemons puppet Joe Wiliford spoke out of turn claiming the entire Sheriff's Association is voting for Plemons. I recall they voted to endorse Plemons under rather questionable circumstances, but it was far from the entire association, even with the questionable way the vote was taken and how the rules of the vote were bent and broken for Plemons and Plemons supporters. But I know the Sheriff's Association, which Plemons claims is the largest law enforcement association in the county despite McNamara supporting Waco Police Association sporting more then 100 more members, has been bleeding members since the questionable vote and especially after Wiliford's misrepresentation.
DeleteIs there no end to the depth the Plemons camp will sink to spread misinformation and outright lies to the public and their employees. For the record, McNamara is against privatization has a a decades long record of being so. Plemons once tried to privatize his own employees and has been telling CEC their contracts are safe with him as Sheriff according to CEC employees. Plemons camp's latest lie is to tell their employees that if elected McNamara is going to take away a week of their vacation time, something the Sheriff does not even have the power to do, since the Commissioners are the only ones that can do that. But all of this smells like desperation to me. I guess losing a straw poll 9-to-1 makes a man get a little panicy.
I will be early voting for McNamara. I encourage everyone to do the same. Early voting starts May 14th and runs through May 25th.
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