Hey Lubbock Sheriff, Gives Us The Weed And We’ll Give You Money

The Sheriff's office needs cash.

The Ask

There is NO DOUBT in my mind that our Sheriff's office is underfunded. All you have to do is look at the crime rate and you know that we need more folks on the streets and more people behind the scenes.  The Sheriff has politely asked for these things again, and he should probably get them. Having a force that is stretched thin is bad for morale and no matter how hard they try, harder to fight crime with. Let's make it clear, if we can find money, give them money.

The Election

On the other side of the coin comes our recent vote over loosening marijuana laws and the Sheriff's Department making a major show over their opposition to the idea. I suppose in their hearts they thought that having less regulations on pot would somehow make it harder on them, but I don't see it that way at all. We don't want them spending their time using an already stretched-thin force to enforce jaywalking, and the marijuana proponents didn't want peaceful pot smokers thrown in jail.

The Problems

The biggest problem comes with perception. The average Joe thinks the Sheriff's office funded those anti-pot commercials. They believe if the office "has enough money for TV commercials, then they have enough for other needs".  It's hard for the Sheriff's office to not get involved in politics since it is an elected office, but they probably shouldn't have been so visible doing so. So let's get straight to the pitch, we need to fund better law enforcement and in return, a focus on violent crime and not minor drug offenses.