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Home2008 ElectionsS.C. Local Government Elections

Anderson sheriff candidates tout plans, disagree on leadership

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Anderson County Sheriff David Crenshaw is running for re-election this fall.

Photo by Ken Ruinard

Anderson County Sheriff David Crenshaw is running for re-election this fall.

John Skipper is running for Anderson County Sheriff this fall.

Photo by Ken Ruinard

John Skipper is running for Anderson County Sheriff this fall.

In about a month, Anderson County residents have a choice to make — continue one man’s path to changes in law enforcement or start anew with a veteran law officer from a previous administration.

Anderson County Sheriff David Crenshaw said his office has made significant improvements since his election in 2004.

“We have come a long way, but we still have a ways to go to get where we need to be,” said Crenshaw, who has more than 35 years in law enforcement. “The trouble for us is not having the resources. I get frustrated. There are so many things that we could have an impact on, but we just don’t have the resources to do it.”

Recently, more than 45 arrest warrants were issued for street-level drug dealers. But Crenshaw said that could have been better if he had the resources to double his team of six narcotics officers.

“With the tax situation the way it is, I don’t know if that will ever happen,” he said. “I don’t know whether the citizens are willing to pay it or not.”

John Skipper, who also is running in the June 10 Republican primary and says he has more than 30 years in law enforcement, including stints in Richland and Anderson counties, said it’s a question of leadership and a sheriff’s ability to create quicker response times to crimes.

“I think I can do a better job of managing people and of keeping morale,” Skipper said. “I’ll use a regional concept with a captain on the road. It’s the way to go. In order to staff that, I’ll shift people within the department and have two investigators assigned to a region. If I hold the captain responsible, I can manage better and have a better use of manpower.”

The June primary winner has no opposition from a Democrat and would take office in January.

Asking for four more years, Crenshaw said his office has been able to recruit its own specialists, who were instrumental in the quick identification and arrest of a suspect in the killing of four people in Easley in late April. A suspect who is a family member, Nathan Dickson, has been charged.

“I’ve upgraded the quality of our officers and set some higher standards in performance,” Crenshaw said.

According to the Census Bureau, Anderson County had 177,963 residents in 2006; an increase of about 12,000 since the 2000 census counted 165,740.

About 409 law enforcement officers are recommended to keep pace with the growth, meeting a standard of 2.3 officers per 1,000 population, according to Crenshaw. In addition to the almost 185 deputies currently on duty in the county, Anderson County is served by law enforcement officers in six municipalities.Crenshaw said he has the experience, education and a broad base of contacts that set him apart from his Republican opponent.

Skipper, the head of a private security firm after his defeat for sheriff in 2004 and a former captain and 16-year veteran with the sheriff’s office, disagrees.

“The message that I would like to send is pretty much that I will be responsible with the taxpayer’s money,” Skipper said. “I can’t say I will never go over budget, because of the operational things.”

Crenshaw, who has already prepared the budget for the next fiscal year, said he is only receiving a 1 mill increase over the 31.5 mills that Anderson County uses to raise tax revenue for the sheriff’s operation of law enforcement and detention.

A mill raises $1 from each $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. Crenshaw, who has been criticized during the early years of his administration for a $2.5-million budget overrun, was not immediately able to say what is the current budget.

But an immediate increase of 30 deputies to help patrol much of the 718 square miles of Anderson County won’t happen anytime soon, he said.

The Anderson County Detention Center, which was built in 1956 and modified with new booking and a secure wing for violent offenders, is overcrowded. The Anderson County Council has denied a new jail a sales tax to fund an expansion.

In 2007, the almost 250-bed jail averaged 442 inmates a day, according to Capt. Garry Bryant, detention director. Bryant said the jail’s census has almost doubled since 2002, but there has been no increase in its 69 full-time employees.

Skipper, who made an unsuccessful application to be chief of the Anderson police in 2006, said he’s concerned with Crenshaw’s response to the issue.

“As a citizen and taxpayer, I can’t accept Crenshaw’s answer that ‘I’m tying to get my arms around it,’ ” Skipper said.

Based on state and national accreditation that were received in Crenshaw’s first term, the sheriff said his department meets hundreds of standards. One of the standards requires the finance director to give command staff monthly budget status reports, Skipper said.

“If he was doing that, how could he not see the $2.5 million (deficit)?” Skipper said. “I will be responsible with the taxpayer money. I want to give them 110 percent effort toward giving them good law enforcement.

“I think by doing a regional concept — putting a command staff person over a smaller area and to be able to do true community policing, getting to know the people in the community and knowing what the issues are in that community, that command staff person can handle that community and the issues that they have,” Skipper said.

Skipper said he would reduce patrol response times by creating four patrol districts in Anderson County, providing deputies with the supervision of a captain, lieutenant and sergeant. Skipper did not provide a timetable or cost for that.

Skipper said he wants his supervisors to also have more support with the re-assignment of at least two investigators to each district.

According to the latest data from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Anderson deputies responded to 6,633 crimes out of Anderson County’s 9,214 reported crimes in 2006. The balance was handled at that time by the county’s seven municipal police agencies, SLED reports. Since then, the county has assumed patrol responsibility in Pendleton, which dissolved its police department.

Crenshaw said his deputies responded to about 80,000 calls for service in 2007. But Skipper, pointing to a high turnover rate in deputies, said Crenshaw is not providing the type of leadership that his deputies need and cited a memorandum written in December 2006 from Crenshaw’s chief deputy.

“Employees must maintain a valid South Carolina driver’s license and failure to do so can result in termination,” according to Creed Hashe. “License checks will be conducted every six months to verify a valid status.”

Months after the memo was written, Crenshaw admitted that he was carrying an expired license in his wallet. Skipper said he would have checked his wallet immediately.

“The officer’s attitude starts with the top guy down,” Skipper said.

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The article states there is no democrat running for sheriff, but that does not mean the winner will automatically get the job. There is an Independent candidate declared for Anderson County Sheriff.
Dennis Gough is the candidate and his website is:
http://www.sheriffforthepeople.com/

eb


Crenshaw has had his chance and has done a few positive things in the County such as increase the number of officers but also alot of Negative, such as the turn over rate on our Officers, the response times are not Good either, especially when you have more deputies working than the administration before, the phone system is pathetic, might as well not even try the 260# because you probably will get a busy signal, might as well just dial 911.If Crenshaw gets re-elected, it's just a matter of time before we Taxpayers get notified AGAIN that he went over budget another few MILLION dollars that will be added onto our Property taxes like this past years. As I've stated before take it from someone whom has dealt with the Sheriff's Office on a regular basis, This Administration is ALOT worse than Taylors and needs to go. John Skipper will get my vote because he deserves a chance to straighten out the Sheriff's and send the Good ole boys back to Pendleton where they belong.
SKIPPER FOR SHERIFF !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DRAWDY FOR SOLICITOR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TOMMY DUNN FOR COUNTY COUNCIL - FOR YOU DIST. 5 FOLKS -!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Prior to David Crenshaw being elected in 04, I
continued to hear from different individuals.

"If Crenshaw is elected, I will have a job.
If Crenshaw is elected, I'll see that you get what you want.
Well, it happened..
Good Old Boy Promotions....Hiring the good old boys....

Now, he is using the Anderson County tax payers
for an excuse...Double his man power and he can do the job.

His Quote:

"Recently, more than 45 arrest warrants were issued for street-level drug dealers. But Crenshaw said that could have been better if he had the resources to double his team of six narcotics officers.

“With the tax situation the way it is, I don’t know if that will ever happen,” he said. “I don’t know whether the citizens are willing to pay it or not.”

Law enforcement experience is a plus but the sheriff should be well qualified in business management of a large operation and forget about the politics.
Trim the excess fat.
Enforce strict employment and require efficient performance for 8 hour days and not 4 hour days.
If the sheriff cannot handle the management aspect of the job, hire a management specialist.

John Skipper said:

“I think I can do a better job of managing people and of keeping morale,” Skipper said.

He should be sure he can do a better job....

We have some serious issues with the ACSO someone needs to address.


I had high hopes and expectations for Crenshaw, thinking he would bring positive change to the Sheriffs Office and bring the department into the 21st century. Rather than moving forward, it seems the department has gone back 20 years and is in worst than before. Shortly after taking office, the Sheriffs Office took over the responsibility of providing two deputies to patrol the Town of Pendleton after the Pendleton Town Council voted to "dissolve" their department, at a cost of the county taxpayers, while other towns and cities struggled to provide services, including police services. Crenshaw then purchased a fleet of gas guzzling SUV for himself and his management staff. When the department went overbudget of about $2.7 million, the Sheriff's response was he is a law enforcement officer, not a business manager. What happened to the heriff's monthly budget report? Did someone forget to give him one? Sorry, but as a chief executive, just like any other organization, he is running a business and needs to manage and live within the budget. During the budget defecit, rather than tightened the reins, Sheriff Crenshaw continued to spend thousands of taxpayers dollars to achieve national accrediation, and still service and response time has not improved. Just recently, Crenshaw is asking for additional funding to purchase twenty-five patrol cars for an aging fleet. In these tough economic times, as a taxpayer, I can not afford another four years of the current Crenshaw adminsitration, and don't beleive the citizens of Anderson County can either. John Skipper has a sound approach to the problems of turn over, expenses and opertion of the Sheriff's Department, responsive to the needs of the citizens, is "Responsibile and Accountable" to the citizens of Anderson County! End note, my driver's license is up for renewal this years, which I wil renew long before it expires!


I would like to see the P&L's for the 4 years prior to D. Crenshaw and the last 4 years with D. Crenshaw in office.

This would also include the number of employees and number of vehicles with the ACSO.


I would like to see the P&L's for the 4 years prior to D. Crenshaw and the last 4 years with D. Crenshaw in office.

This would also include the number of employees and number of vehicles with the ACSO.


I would like to see the P&L's for the 4 years prior to D. Crenshaw and the last 4 years with D. Crenshaw in office.

This would also include the number of employees and number of vehicles with the ACSO.


What about this guy, Why are we not reading about his running for the sheriff? I have seen several of his 'posters' around the anderson area. Check out this website. http://www.sheriffforthepeople.com/


in response to shellbell1955

If DENNIS GOUGH expects to have a fighting chance, he needs to get out in public and show his face.
If not, I do not think he is our solution..


this is a double edged sword. would you rather pay $20 extra a year and have good service or pay less and have service that sucks. i would rather pay a little extra if that's what it takes to protect the citizens. i bet you guys would complain either way. Taylor did it with a little less money, but look at the service we got. contrary to popular belief, you do get what you pay for, and that also applies to public service.


I say if you are serious about who you want to represent you as our Sheriff in the next term come to the debate at the civic center,Monday night and bring an open mind,listen to both candidates, then vote for the man you think is the best of the two. then do the same when we have a debate between the republican and the independent.Anyone who votes just becouse a man is running as a certain party`s candidate,does not mean he`s the best man for the job.KEEP AN OPEN MIND!


Just the fact that Crenshaw was driving with an expired license for over a year is reason enough for me not to vote for him. Same goes with Lt. Gov. Bauer's speeding tickets that he tried to weasel out of by saying he's "SC2".

Any elected official that does not obey or respect the law does not deserve to be in office. No exceptions.

eb


theflash
what time is the debate at the civc center monday night


in response to hogriderflstc

Well I'm glad you think your getting your dollars worth from our Sheriff's Office because your few and far in between. What's happening is were paying the extra $$$ on our taxes and NOT receiving better service. Were paying more and getting less from our Sheriff's Department. You obviously haven't had to deal with the Sheriff's Office too much or any, during David Crenshaws aka (Duck Cooley Jr.) term.


Wow, I checked out Dennis Gough's website...he says some pretty good things....

Why is it he is not mentioned in this story?

One thing that impressed me was he was willing to only take a paycheck of $1.00..

"I will only take a dollar per paycheck until the residents of this county see that I am getting the budget out of the red, and getting it back in line. At that point in time, I plan to take a paycheck, but only 5% more then my highest paid man."

I wonder what the sheriff's salary is now...and what the next lowest paid person's is.

Another quote from his website...

"Before and “more so” after 9-11 the Federal Government mandated moneys to be set aside by way of grants to aid Police Agencies in upgrading, expanding and training their personal. These Grants are made available to those agencies that qualify. At the present time the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is accredited and has been sense March of 2007, which could qualify them. The current Sheriff doesn’t seem to be doing much to obtain these grants. These grants are not added expense to the taxpayers, but have been appropriated from the taxes that have already been collected. It is not just money taken from Anderson County but from the entire Nation. We deserve some of that money. Some of the grants available are, but not limited to;

Motorcycle purchases,

Radar and Radio equipment,

Police car purchases.

There is even a grant that will pay approximately 70% of new hire deputies for the first 3 years of service, just to name a few.

I must point out that these grants and all the other grants are subject to availability.

If you the people elect me Sheriff I will implement plans to seek out those grants and obtain as many as I can. I plan to sell all items and equipment the department no longer uses or needs, such as the boat, the wrecked cars, ect: ect: and earmark the money collected, along with grant money for purchases such as a helicopter, rescue craft, safety equipment, motorcycles and advanced training in the fields of; illegal immigration, gang warfare, Drug enforcement, domestic violence and any other subject that will benefit the safety and well being of the residents of Anderson County. Further: I will turn the S.U.V.’S into K-nine units. I will not take home a county car."

Wonder if the current sheriff checked on these grants before purchasing all the new vehicles?

Anyone know what John Skippers web site is, I've tried to google it, but had no luck.

Thanks,
Lynn


in response to snapper_two

The debate is scheduled to start at 7P.M. and it cost 5 Dollars to cover the utilities at the civic center. See you there I hope.


in response to clark6122

I`m not positive but I think Skipper`s website might be 1230waim.com.


in response to concernedcitizen75

1. You're correct Sheriff Crenshaw has increased the number of officers on the streets. Why in 16 years did Skipper/Taylor not do such a simple act for the citizens.
2.Response times are lower from hours to minutes check the data.
3.Phones ring at Central dispatch and are transferred to the S.O.
4.Skipper/Taylor went over budget constantly and had the largest overage for the sheriff's budget not Crenshaw.
5.Skipper could not run a divison of deputies under Taylor, what makes you think he can lead them all.


I know that Crenshaw has made mistakes, but you really have to ask yourself a few questions before making your decision. Is this administration an improvement over the previous one? Here are a few things to think about. There are more deputies on the road now than there were before. You can ride anywhere in the county and see that. Crenshaw has the ACSO nationally accrediated, they just won and award for the drugs he has taken off the streets, and has dropped response time dramatically. The national accrediation is something that Taylor should have done 10 years ago. Taylor had the drug teams on the interstate, but Crenshaw got results from them. As far as response time are concerned I shouldn't have to even say anything, lets just say they have improved dramatically, very dramatically. There is some turnover at the SO, but Anderson County won't pony-up and pay deputies near as much as Greenville and other counties. His office has handeled high profile cases very well, and have worked hard to give us answers, when they happen.
Has he made some mistakes, yes. I'm sure the thing about the driver's liscense was embarasing, but i'll bet everyone including myself checked there DL, because they didn't know if or when it expires. The budget overages were for new cars to replace those old black cars that were falling apart. The reason for the budget overage was that county council decided to take all the money from his budget at one time instead of over a period of time like before, since then he has come in under budget. Something to also think about do you remember what gas prices were 4 years ago? So while Crenshaw has not been perfect, I think he has done a good job. I think he deserves 4 more.


in response to tigerag

I hate to agree with a tiger but, AMEN...


Who is this Capt. Leo? He talks about trying cases and he is not even a lawyer, where does he practice law? I looked into his newsletters which he says he writes for and i think there are 4 members. Law Practice? Is it in his homeland? Cuba? the American Bar Assoc. has no record of him nor does the SC Lawyers. Plus what is he a Captain of? certainly not the military. I think he has a Captain license for his boat on Lake Hartwell. Talk about a wanna be


in response to truck10

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????


As long as the Anderson County Council turns a blind eye and deaf ear to the crime crises in our county. No real solution can be found. If we are going to arrest offenders and keep them locked up, we have to have a new county jail. If we are going to present an effective obstable to lawbreakers, we have to be willing to spend the money to do so. Sheriff Crenshaw has tackled the crime problem head on and it has cost real money. it is going to continue to do so whether he is the sheriff or Skipper's bid for election is successful. The only difference is that Sheriff Crenshaw is honest about it, and Skipper would have you think that he can institute all these changes without any more money. Wow!!, if he only could achieve that goal. Sheriff Crenshaw has my vote for as long as he is doing the job. As for the County Council, I will vote for anyone who really supports our local law enforcement.


in response to truck10

Wow! It really is evident why you were TERMINATED from the fire department. Oh well, maybe those worker's comp benefits will kick in soon and you won't be so bitter. Happy Thanksgiving.


in response to uscgang

Taylor never went over budget in the MILLIONS,(Dont know where you get your info stating Taylor had the largest overage) if he had he would of been able to hire alot more Officers to respond to calls and reduce his response times like Crenshaw. There are proper ways in handling budgets and our Sheriff just shouldn't take it upon himself to just blow ours in the Millions and we get it added onto our taxes. It's our decision as voters and taxpayers, not just his. As far as the phones ringing I don't care if the phone rings at President Bush's house and is transferred to the ACSO, my point is since Crenshaw took office, the old phone # 260-4400 has now been automated and is a waste of time, the #260-4405 a direct line into the Sheriff's Office NOT through Central Dispatch is always busy. You should not have to use the emergency 911 number everytime you need a deputy. On your last point, Crenshaw has the highest turnover rate as Sheriff, so obviously he cannot connect with or lead his own deputies. He can't even maintain a valid driving License.I think If I were a Sheriff, I would make sure my License hasn't been suspended. Can't manage our budget, his deputies or his keep his License from being suspended, that's just why (Duck Cooley Jr.) needs to go.


in response to concernedcitizen75

if you are gonna lay out dirt make sure you have the facts right. there is a BIG difference between a suspended license and an expired license.


in response to ACE750

You were let go for a reason. Bury your grudge and get on w/ your life. And so you know, David Crenshaw pays taxes as do all employess of Anderson County. It's time for you grudge holding slackers to quit beating this dead horse and put it in the ground b/c it's starting to fester and stink. Skipper may do a wonderful job but I seriously doubt it w/ the likes of the former Taylor supporters pulling his strings and writing his speeches. Taylor supporters who were employed by the ACSO and were let go b/c they were lazy, had horrible attitudes toward their work and people of the community, and thought they were totally untouchable b/c of who they were. I'd like to buy you people for what you're worth and sell you for what you think you're worth. Boy I'd be rich. It'd be better than winning the lottery.


in response to theflash

Now there's the flash....I agree whole heartedly. Thanks!!


in response to In_Search_Of_Truth

Yeah...just ask the former chief deputy who should be hiding under the rock in concernedcitizen75's back yard.


in response to rbbugg24

quote....lazy, had horrible attitudes toward their work and people of the community, and thought they were totally untouchable b/c of who they were.

Above is an almost perfect description of a lot of current employees! I have been there for both (wasn't fired or hold a grudge about anything) and I know that there are more criminals inside the walls of the LEC than there has ever been before. If you think the issue is dead, don't comment. Most people who are afraid for another point of view to be heard is not so sure about their own.


Things have definitely improved with Crenshaw . When Taylor was sheriff not only were repsonse times longer but sometimes they didn't respond at all!
Here's an example:
A friend of mine came home to find her front door had been kicked in. She ran to her neighbor's and called the ACSO. After waiting there for over an hour,the neighbor finally got his gun and went with her and checked her house out.Taylor's bunch never did show up.

Also during Taylor's administration, my son was punched in the face by an adult male (he was only 12 at the time). The whole side of his face was bruised and swollen. I filed a report with ACSO and was told the case would be assigned to an investigator who would call me in a day or two.
That call never came so I called them. I had to call over and over and kept getting a run around.
I was told the case hadn't been assigned yet,blah,blah,blah. Finally after 3 weeks the case was assigned to an investigator and he couldn't have cared less. He was very rude and asked me just what did I want. I told him that I wanted the guy arrested for punching my son in the face.
He asked what my son did to cause the man to hit him ! Like it's okay for a grown man to punch a 12 yr. old child in the face as long as he has a good reason. I wonder if he asked molestation victims what they did to cause an adult to molest them.
He claimed he was going to "look into it" and would get back with me and guess what? I never heard from him again. Taylor's bunch just let the guy get away with assaulting my son so I had to get someone to do a little "street justice". People shouldn't have to dispense justice themselves ,the police are supposed to "protect and serve" but that certainly didn't apply to Taylor's administration.


All of you "Good Ole Boys" know if Gene Taylor had run up a 2.5 million dollar debt and had driven a county vehicle for 14 months without a valid driver's license, he would have been hung at sundown. It's time to get over the double standard for Crenshaw and start holding him accountable like everybody else!


in response to concernedcitizen75

264-4405 is a direct line to the Sheriff's Office DISPATCHERS who are located in CENTRAL DISPATCH. Maybe you should ask someone who knows instead of just assuming.


in response to clark6122

John Skipper's website is www.skipperforsheriff.com


Ok Lets sort it out.
Budgets may go over at times when major crimes occur and extensive overtime is required. ASK ANY DEPUTY YOU SEE HOW MUCH OVERTIME THEY HAVE MADE THE PAST 3 YEARS. ANSWER: $00.00

New cars are needed in order to protect the county and these must be paid for with pre arroved county money. Has JP ever said he paid the sheriffs car fleet early ANSWER: NO

Ron Wilson said the budget problems must be paid back by the Sheriffs office not JP's office so the sheriff must have done the over-spennding 2.5 million first year.

Did the sheriffs Personal Property Tax get increased 2.5 million for mis-managing the county's money.ANSWER: NO.NO. It was divided up to all the Tax Payers in the county.

Everybody keeps pointing fingers at BUSHA for all the sheriffs problems.ANSWER: Busha has bee gone 2+ years and its still a mess. Guess we know whos left>>>>THE SHERIFF


in response to concernedcitizen75

I'm not quite sure where you are getting your info from but Taylors administration did go over budget MANY times (some times into the millions). It was hidden very well then in the "General Fund" . Taxpayers would have never known Crenshaw went over budget had it not been for the fact that the sheriffs office along with the detention center were put into their own fund. Have you ever considered that the turnover rate is so high because some deputies that were hired did not want to perform on the job as they were supposed to? Skipper could not even manage the deputies when he worked under Taylor so I refuse to waste my vote on someone who couldnt handle the authority they once had. THe gas guzzling SUV's have always been in place at the sheriffs office in ANderson along with just about every other law enforcement office in the US. (That is an ignorant point to try and make.) The city has SUV's as well. Everything that I see Crenshaw has done has been to better Anderson County and bring us out of the mess that Taylor had previously left us in. If you want to go back to a failing department with slow response times , an unconcerned sheriff, and someone who doesnt care about the community then bring Taylors old administration back in. Thats exactly what all the criminals in Anderson County are hoping for. I am not saying that Crenshaw has not made some mistakes but the postitive effects of his term as sheriff has been far more than the negative.


in response to kassidyrose1

If you check back on your county tax statements from when Gene Taylor was sheriff, I believe you will find that the tax for his office was listed seperately from the general fund as Crenshaw's is.


If David Crenshaw was a manager for a private company with his record: 2.5 million dollars over budget, driving with no license for 14 months, Catergate, and Tim Busha, he would have been fired from that company in his first year.


in response to forrester123

Oh I'm not afraid...and I actually agree w/ you on the points you just made. There are quite a few who need to be let go as we speak and some that I think should have their jobs given back w/ a huge "I'm Sorry". The dead horse would be "my hard earned money pays their salary"...OK..what about those officers "hard earned money"...where do their tax dollars go? A different pot perhaps? Hell, if my hard earned money goes to keep up the local law enforcement, I'm for it. No, I'm not afraid, forrester123, I'm censored. Otherwise, you'd all get a blog full.


in response to forrester123

And if you feel that strongly about some of the criminal left inside the ASCO walls, you need to file a complaint. Believe me, it'll get heard and they'll get brought in on it. I have a few friends who've lost their jobs over this very thing. Give them a call and let them know.


in response to truthwatcher

You are right , it was listed seperate. However the sheriffs office was not taken out of the general fund until Crenshaw became sheriff. The ammount listed on our taxes doesnt show how much the office has went over, it just shows how much we are paying. Being included in the general fund allowed the county to shift money to cover the overage when Taylor was sheriff.


in response to concernedcitizen75

Yes, Taylor/Skipper did go over budget in the millons, the budget was covered by the General Fund and was not known to the public. The highest turnover rate was under Taylor/Skipper as of 11/04/2004 there were eight open slots on road patrol. Since they had fewer deputies on the road the percentage would be higher. I find it interesting that Skipper is concerned about the morale of deputies now that it's election time. If you don't know the difference between suspended and expired, I'm wasting my time.


in response to MarshallDillon08

Paying overtime is the highest unknown cost in a budget. Thank you for pointing out that Sheriff Crenshaw is the first to control such wasteful spending.
The S.O. is becoming one of the most respected agencys in the state. A former disgruntled employee would think different.


in response to In_Search_Of_Truth

This comment was removed by site staff. The poster was notified at the email they used to register at Independentmail.com, and they were given the chance to amend their comment to comply with our user contributions policy.


in response to uscgang

In response to (Good Ole Boy) uscgang , I wasn't aware then Captain John Skipper handled the Sheriff's Office budget while Taylor was in Office. Looks like then Sheriff Gene Taylor would be accountable for the budget, not one of his Captains. Maybe I should of checked with you, since your vast knowledge of the Sheriff's office is second to none.


in response to concernedcitizen75

Let me explain, Taylor was sheriff and he didn't want a chief deputy, so he had his captains responsible for their bugets. So, that makes him(Skipper) responsible. If the other captains would like to run for sheriff then we could hold them accountable. Thats what his signs say. Correct?


in response to concernedcitizen75

How can I be a Good Ole Boy and have such much knowledge about both sheriffs? That would destroy the theory that they only work for Crenshaw. Thank you, for seeing the "vast knowledge", I don't get my information from blogs.


Your saying Skipper is responsible for any Gene Taylor budget overrage, when Taylor was in Office? Whom has final say so over the budget at the Sheriff's Office ? Yeah that's right the Sheriff. He's the Elected Official that is held accountable solely for it. Your just one of Crenshaws pawns trying to divert the fact that Crenshaw is responsible for his budget as Gene Taylor was his. Busha or Hashe didn't handle Crenshaws budget as Skipper didn't Taylors. Put the blame where it belongs and it belongs to the person running the Office ( The Sheriff ) not the people working under him. You make sure you pull your head out of Crenshaws rear in time to cast your vote for your Good Ole Boy Sheriff in June.


There's a big difference between an expired and a suspended license. A license is suspended because the driver broke the law . The DMV then mails a notice to inform the driver that his or her license has been suspended and driving privilege has been revoked. If the driver continues to drive he is in willful violation of the law and is driving under suspension and if caught can be given jail time. The driver may have to pay a stiff fine ,take classes, or get SR22 insurance .

An expired license is not a suspended license and does not result in any of the above. DMV does not send any type of notification when licenses expire so most people don't realize they've let their license expire until someone else points it out to them. I used to have to check ID's at work and there were a LOT of people who handed me an expired license. When I pointed out the fact that it was expired they were shocked. I guess it's easy for people to forget during the 5 or 10 years since their last renewal just exactly how long it's been since they got their license renewed.


Skipper said. “I can’t say I will never go over budget, because of the operational things.”

If you are a concerned citizen you should pull your head out and listen to what the man is saying.

Skipper will have a hard time now, after hugging up to anti-tax crowd.


in response to concernedcitizen75

well, since i have to explain, i guess you don't know the difference between an expired driver's license and a suspended license.

it is all about intent. if someone is driving on a suspended license, they have willful intent to violate the law. the person, for whatever reason has committed a violation and thei license has been suspended as a result. if someone's license has expired it just means they have gotten old enough to where:

a. they know their name and don't have to check their license to remind themselves.

b. they're too old to still count birthdays and didn't realize enough had passed to renew the license.

c. in other words they are human. there is NO intent there to intentionally violate the law.

if you are going to be in such a rush to tell tales, make sure your info is square.


in response to In_Search_Of_Truth

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in response to uscgang

Going over budget is one thing but when your going over in the Millions is another. We'll just have to wait till June to find out. He's got alot more support than you think, remember Crenshaw didn't beat him by much last time.


in response to concernedcitizen75

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Anyone who has had their eyes open in Anderson County should be able to see that Crenshaw is making a difference and the sheriffs office is running better. I have heard some say that response times dont matter. Tell that to those who waited mre than hour for a deputy under Taylors administration. Getting rid of the meth labs must not matter either. Im sure those wose neighborhoods have been effected feel differently. Havinga sheriff ho is approachable and not so full of himelf is important as well. Anytime I have needed to speak directly with the sheriff, I have been able to leave a message and he gets back with me. He is concerned about what the citizens of this county have to say and does not blow off any complaints or thoughts that I may have.You were lucky if you could get Skipper and Taylor to look at you while you were speaking. Those two were the most arrogant county employees to ever exist. I see Crenshaws improvement in just this one term.. How many chancesdid Taylor and Skipper have to improve Anderson County? And now Skipper says he can do it.. Why couldnt he do something about it then? Does he hav esome new tool to booost morale at the sheriffs office? Nope I doubt it, he is just using the tactics that everyone uses to get elected. I dont want to see another Taylor administration .


in response to In_Search_Of_Truth

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Another factor to consider about Mr. Crenshaw is when he ran in 92 it was as a Democrat. After a "big heart felt conversion" he ran in 04 as a Republican and after being elected he said "what a great year to be a Republican." Then just 2 years ago in 06 he was one of the first people to jump out and endorse Democrat Tommy Moore for Governor. Seems to be just another local RINO.


I have lived through the administrations of Cooley/Crenshaw, Taylor/Skipper, and Crenshaw/Busha. Give me Taylor/Skipper over the other four all put together!


in response to truthwatcher

Same here buddy.


truthwatcher:

AMEN to what you said. John Skipper will make a great Sheriff. And with Martin Brown on board as well, I see the county being well protected. I have known John Skipper for around 16 years and Martin Brown for even longer. Both are great men.


in response to concernedcitizen75

Change your user name to concernedforskipper or concernedformyself. Remember Taylor/Skipper had the largest and Skipper said he will do it again.