Taylor discusses issues facing ACSO

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May 16, 2012

Taylor discusses issues facing ACSO

By PAUL STONE Palestine Herald-Press The Palestine Herald-Press Wed May 16, 2012, 09:22 AM CDT

PALESTINE — EDITOR’S NOTE: Candidates in the May 29 Anderson County sheriff’s Republican Primary were asked to answer the following questions in 100 words or less. Minor editing may have performed in some cases. Candidate Richard Welch did not respond to the Herald-Press’ questionnaire.

Q: What are your qualifications for the job?

GREG TAYLOR

I stand on my experience and proven record of 30-plus years in corrections and law enforcement with 20-plus years in management in both fields. Since taking office, we have improved professionalism, training, equipment and integrity at the sheriff’s office. We have improved response times to calls for service and the professionalism in the way these calls are handled. We have improved operations, keeping your tax dollars in mind by using grants, donations and seizures from criminals. We have kept a well-managed jail and brought in income for our county by housing out-of-county prisoners.

Q: Is the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office currently doing an effective job of fully utilizing its human and financial resources?

GREG TAYLOR

When I took office in 2005, we had two patrol deputies on duty for each shift and no supervisors. I mandated that we have a minimum of three deputies per shift. This was done by taking two deputies from courthouse security and the K9 deputy position and putting them on patrol. With the commissioners’ court blessing, we were able to shuffle money within my budget to pay three patrol sergeant positions and one patrol corporal and one civil sergeant position, adding much needed accountability. We are, in fact, using all our resources in an effective, efficient manner.

Q: What are the biggest challenges/issues facing the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office?

GREG TAYLOR

The biggest challenge facing our sheriff’s office and all law enforcement is learning to do more with less. As budgets shrink and call volume increases, we have to maintain our high level of service with fewer resources. Illegal drugs and property crimes are a major issue. We have been and will continue to aggressively pursue drug dealers and burglars and bring them to prosecution. I am very proud of how hard all my staff works every day to make Anderson County a safer place to live, work and raise our families.

Q: Since budgets are tight at virtually every level of government, what would be your funding priorities if elected?

GREG TAYLOR

My funding priorities would be funding for new patrol vehicles and another deputy that could be assigned to the Drug Investigation Unit. In a perfect world and with endless coffers of money, we could use another deputy assigned to each shift and another criminal investigator to keep up with the rising call volume. However, I do realize that there is not an endless pit of money and we must do our best with the resources available and I vow to continue to do just that.

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