I’d like to take this opportunity to re-introduce myself to
you and to discuss some of what I think are important points that you should
consider when you vote in the upcoming September Primary for Sheriff. There are
more than one or two points that will need in depth review. In future letters, I will do my best to
address the issues that I think are important to you as a taxpayer and as a
concerned citizen. We live in a complex
world and law enforcement has struggled to meet the challenges that complex world
poses for all of us. Please know that I want to help law enforcement succeed in
its mission to keep us all safe and out of harm’s way as I have striven to do
over the past 39 years of my career. We now live in a world where some demented
miscreants consider our public schools as “soft targets”, where a generation of
our youth might be lost to drug addiction and police officers find it necessary
to carry an opioid counter agent, Narcan, with them at all times. It is a place
where police officers themselves are all too frequently the subject of a deadly
ambush and where some State governments have created “Sanctuary Cities” to
harbor illegal immigrants and appear to defy the rule of law.
Our Sheriff’s Office is the de-facto largest law enforcement
agency in this county and it should have a positive role in protecting us. The troubles the world is experiencing will
never allow us to roll up sidewalks, bury our heads in the sand or sit still
when wrong is perpetrated against our citizens.
I believe, through working with all of our law enforcement partners and
our political leaders and using financial accountability as a guideline, we can
serve you in an affordable manner and do it professionally as well.
No one other than me decided that I would run for Sheriff of
Allegany County. I’m doing it because
this is my home, this is where my loved ones are, this is the community I care
about and because I feel that there is a need for change. I also happen to be passionate about the law
and about law enforcement. No one
seeking a position in law enforcement or law itself does so without admiration
and respect, and yes love, for the rule of law.
I like and respect Rick Whitney, as a person and as a member
of our law enforcement family. I also
respect his civic contributions. I seek
only a civil and professional discussion of the issues as they present
themselves. Follow me on Facebook
@mackneyforsheriff or email me your concerns at: mackneyforsheriff@gmail.com.
Respectfully yours,
Walter Mackney
Candidate for Sheriff of Allegany County
