We have two candidates to choose from to replace outgoing County Sheriff, Garry Lucas. Shane Gardner and Chuck Atkins are those two candidates, Atkins clearly holding more actual experience in our Sheriff’s Department.
Although late in the primary, I did endorse and put my support behind Atkins, seeing that he was who held, in my estimation, the best all around experience to occupy that office and serve the citizens of Clark County.
I have no problems with Shane Gardner and think he is an excellent Deputy, but he continues showing he is just not ready to be the County Sheriff.
Case in point, the below image of a comment on his facebook page concerning “community policing.”
While overall it might be a decent answer, it disturbs me to see him refer to those the Police have to deal with often as “customers,” customers that sometimes are “violent.”
I’m sorry, suspects, criminals and others that react as violently as he indicates are not customers.
Using that word to describe those people, giving indication of they are someone coming to make a purchase of goods or service does not resonate with me as a serious view of law enforcement.
Would you consider a domestic abuser, bank robber or drug dealer as a “customer?”
Would you want to see an officer hurt because they hesitated to use force when necessary, knowing the Sheriff was an ‘appeaser’ or holds to the old axiom of “the ‘customer’ is always right?”
The notion of “community policing” also is not new. It did not originate with Deputy Gardner and Clark County Sheriff’s have been leaders in that regard.
Chuck Atkins reminds us, “Community policing, partnerships, finding innovative solutions, are not new ideas. You and I have been innovating for the last two decades and we will continue to innovate in how we provide public safety services to the citizens of Clark County.”
That is why experience matters and why I decided to put my support behind Chuck Atkins.
Lacking in experience is not a slur against Gardner, as I said, I feel he is an excellent Deputy and hope he gains the needed experience in command positions to one day become a good Sheriff.
I also hope he moves past the notion of criminal suspects being “customers.”
