Local candidates share ideas at GOP forum

The three candidates for Scurry County Sheriff painted different pictures of how they’d run the sheriff’s office if elected.
Incumbent Trey Wilson was joined by challengers Jeanette Pritchard and Raymond Guzman for Tuesday’s candidate forum.
While Pritchard spoke several times about increased training and different types of training, Guzman emphasized the importance of working within the community. Wilson highlighted the improved working relationship with other law enforcement agencies and revenue the jail is generating.
“Know the community. It’s relationships,” Guzman said. “Training yes, but public relations.”
He said law enforcement officials should interact with the public like store employees and managers do. 
“The community is our customer. We’re not out there communicating with them,” he said.
Wilson said he has 23 years of law enforcement experience, including working in all three aspects of the sheriff’s office. 
“In 2012 we had some disconnect (between agencies). I feel like we have a very good relationship with the fire, EMS, DPS and police departments,” he said.
Pritchard said more could be done.
“Scurry County needs a change,” Pritchard said. “We’re not doing enough to fight drugs. We need to get busy and get working. Deputies shouldn’t be sitting around the office.”
Pritchard said any time a person puts on a uniform, they become a target.
“If you have on a uniform, you’re subject to be shot,” she said. More frequent qualifying on the gun range and additional firearms training were two changes she said she’d adopt if elected.
Guzman said the biggest danger to law enforcement is not knowing what the other person is thinking.
“We have to have each other’s back and knowing they’re there,” he said, recounting an experience he’d had during an arrest.
Wilson said a lack of respect was the biggest danger to law enforcement. 
“That has absolutely gone away,” he said. He said additional training and being prepared were essential for safety.
When asked about combating drugs in the county, Guzman said the county needed additional resources.
“You can always get more resources. You have to work with the community,” he said. “You deal with the small things, one-by-one and face it head on.”
Wilson said Scurry County’s location was both a positive and negative, but pointed out that the sheriff’s office and Snyder Police Department are working on the problem, with much of that work happening behind the scenes.
Pritchard said the problem is larger than the public can imagine.
“You’d be amazed how many people point out drug houses. We haven’t been doing what we need to do as law enforcement. We need to work constantly to get resources,” she said.
The topic of being fair to everyone drew different responses.
Guzman said that laws need to be enforced across the board to be fair, that where a person is from or their income shouldn’t be a factor.
Wilson said he holds deputies and jailers to high standards when dealing with the public. He acknowledged there are sometimes issues, but that they are dealt with directly.
Pritchard said work could be done to improve the department across the board.
“I don’t think we’ve been terrible, but I don’t think everyone’s gotten the same attention. We could do a better job reaching out to the public,” she said. 
When asked about the jail as a profit center, each candidate pointed out pros and cons.
Pritchard said that although it was a profit center and helped raise money to pay for the debt on the law enforcement center, she thought counties were sending us their more difficult inmates.
Guzman said he was in favor of continuing to house out-of-county inmates, but said we should target Level 1 offenders.
Wilson said housing the inmates allowed him to add three jailers, and that while it added about $300,000 in expense to open another jail pod for the inmates, the jail would probably generate about $1 million in revenue this year, resulting in a profit that can be used to pay down debt.
Medical services at the jail also came up during the forum. Wilson said contracting with an outside company rather than continuing to work with the health department was working well.
“We needed separation because of oversight,” he said. “We contracted with Southern Health Partners. I don’t see any negative with that.”
Pritchard said the issue needs to be revisited.
“It (contract) is a lot more than we were paying to the local health department. Anytime you can stay local, that’s the way you should go,” she said.
Guzman said that the inmates receiving the medical services should bear responsibility for paying for those services.
“Make sure the inmates are paying their way,” he said. He said that when they are released, they should be responsible for paying the medical bills.