Our children are in danger; danger from the pressures that they encounter on the streets.  Pressure from peers, gangs and ever-present drugs are obstacles they face every day.  The office of Sheriff must be a positive force to not only rehabilitate our youth when they come to our facility, but to do all that is in our power to prevent them from becoming involved in activities that lead them down the path of trouble to begin with.

I pledge to commit to a youthful offender initiative. This initiative will be a two-pronged approach. The first will deal with youthful offenders who are incarcerated to get them placed back on the right track to integrate successfully into and become productive members of society.  The second will be to address the youth before they get involved in a life of crime and provide resources and education to help them avoid the negative influences that become such a strong influence on their behavior.

The place to address the issues that plague our youth is in the schools.  However, to indeed make the critical inroads needed, high school is too late.  We need to get into the elementary schools to educate our students about making the right choices in life and redirect them towards positive youthful activities that are productive and fulfilling for their mind, body and spirit.

We need to establish collaboration between the Sheriff’s Department, local police, local service agencies and every school system to support and help in this very important initiative, to win the battle to save our children.