LETTER 'ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT' ON MARIJUANA RAIDS

Editor:

I would like to respond to the three letters published and authored by Mr.
Van Washburn.

First, I would like to enlighten the reader. I work for the Tehama County
Sheriff's Department and have done so for the past 26 years. I have been
primarily responsible for the marijuana eradication program since 1985.

I have pulled more than 200,000 marijuana plants, arrested more than 300
suspects and spent thousands of hours in the forest over the past 16 years.

I am considered an expert in state and federal courts. I have been
recognized by the governor of California for my efforts in marijuana
eradication.

I am currently in charge of the marijuana eradication program for the
Tehama County Sheriff's Department.

I have been to five CAMP conferences and work very closely with CAMP.

I believe I have the expertise to address Mr. Washburn. With this in mind,
I will now state "Mr. Washburn, you are absolutely incorrect in your
assessment of our program."

There is no deterrent in pulling out marijuana plants and not pursuing the
responsible grower. CAMP is designed to fly into a garden in the middle of
the day and pull plants, and while doing so, the suspects flee the area and
are never seen again.

You are also wrong in your evaluation of our budget. We sign contracts with
the Forest Service and BLM each year. We are paid to enforce marijuana
eradication on public lands.

We receive funding from DEA; we receive equipment from the government to
assist us in the fight for safer public lands.

By the way, CAMP is not free. They are budgeted each year from the state
budget. Your tax dollars at work.

Based on what we have done over the past three years, we are now in line
for a marijuana grant, which will employ one detective and two deputies
year round, at a minimal expense to the Tehama County taxpayers.

We certainly "did not" spend 1/2 million dollars on overtime for the
marijuana program. Check your figures.

The 1/2 million dollars in overtime as for the entire department's overtime
for the year. The marijuana investigation overtime expenditure was only a
small percentage of that figure.

You may change your mind about our program once you realize the current
trends of marijuana growing on public lands.

The Mexican cartel is responsible for the majority of our cases today.

They arm their growers; they destroy beautiful and pristine areas of our
forest by leaving their garbage, insecticides and poisons on the forest floor.

They have confronted and murdered civilians who wander into their gardens.

The proceeds from the successfully harvested gardens are diverted back into
the manufacturing of methamphetamine and used to finance next year's gardens.

Since our sheriff took office, he has provided an open door policy to the
public. You can find him in the office from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday. His home phone number is available to the public and his
website is open 24 hours a day.

Your attack on the sheriff is unwarranted. Not one time in the past three
years have you approached the sheriff, or me, and expressed your interest
or dislike for our program.

You choose to voice your opinion in the Letters to the Editor in the middle
of a campaign year.

I did not hear you complain about the program in 1999 or 2000. You wait
until now. It appears your issues with our program may be underlined with
your own political motivations.

Every peace officer is sworn to an Oath of Office and bound to enforce the
law. We will pursue criminal violators no matter what the crime or where
the crime is being committed.

Marijuana investigation is just one of the hundreds of services we provide
to the public. If you disagree with the law, then take it up with your
Legislature and let us do our jobs.

Darrell Plemons

Red Bluff