CANDIDATES FOR JACKSON COUNTY SHERIFF SPEAK ABOUT DRUGS

The 10 men who want to be the next sheriff of Jackson County were
quizzed Thursday about how they would deal with substance abuse among
young people of the community.

The forum held at Chipola College was put on by the Panhandle Drug
and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Coalition. The candidates were given an
advance copy of the five questions they were to answer, and drew
numbers to determine the order in which they would answer each.

The candidates are Chuck Anderson, John Dennis, Sonny Fortunato,
Aldrich D. Johnson, William Nelson, Jim Peacock, Lou Roberts, Robbie
Wester, Darryl Williams and Zannie Williams.

When asked what behaviors they would expect their staff members to
model for today's youth, most of the candidates said they'd expect
their deputies and other employees to behave as professionals both on
and off duty so that they could be role models as they play their
private roles in society as well as while one the job.

If the violate rules of conduct, most candidates said, their staff
members would be subject to certain disciplinary actions based on the
type of infraction and its severity.

When asked what they would do to educate the public on the subject of
alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse, candidates had a variety of
ideas, in addition to working with agencies who already deal with the problem.

Aldrich Johnson said he'd hold public service campaigns and recruit volunteers.

Jim Peacock said he'd train his deputies to refer drug-using youths
to a helping agency on first encounter. He also said he'd like to
institute a junior deputy program as a peer-to-peer educational tool.
Darryl Williams said he'd like to initiate new school programs like
student seminars on high-risk behaviors.

Chuck Anderson said he'd like to do more parent-education sessions so
they would be more likely to recognize the signs of drug or alcohol
abuse in their children. Public service announcements on radio during
high-risk periods like holidays might also be useful, he said.

Lou Roberts said he'd like to make fuller use of School Resource
Officers by setting up additional school-based programs related to
drug and alcohol abuse prevention.

William Nelson said he'd like to give children more educational
programs about the side effects of drug and alcohol use so that they
never start down the path. "If you take away the demand, you decrease
the supply," he said.

Robbie Wester said he'd make better use of seized drug money by
putting more of it into drug eradication training and prevention
programs with children.

Sonny Fortunato said he'd like to institute the anti-drug DARE
program at area schools and would make sure retail store owners
realized that the sheriff's office would have a no-tolerance view of
the sale of alcohol to minors. Arrests, he said, would make the point
and send a message to others. Parents, he said, also need be better
informed about the dangers of leaving prescription drugs within reach
of curious teenagers.

John Dennis said more community patrolling and contact is one answer
to the problem. He said law enforcement should have a higher presence
at municipal and county meetings, and initiate town meetings if a
widespread educational need arises.

Zannie Williams said children and their parents need more programs to
educate them about the ill effects of drug and alcohol abuse, and
that law enforcement should see to it that store owners check the
identification of would-be alcohol buyers to make sure they're of age.

Candidates were also asked what they would to to reduce high-risk
behaviors among young people.

Chuck Anderson said he'd like to set up a team data-base where
agencies could compare notes and more quickly identify young people
who were showing consistent signs of substance abuse.

Robbie Wester said he'd like to hold mini-camps for young people so
that they could interact in a positive environment with law
enforcement and establish a bond of trust that could help them reach
out if they were having problems.

Zannie Williams said he'd like to have public meetings so that he
could get input from parents and other adults about how to address
the drug abuse issue.

William Nelson said he'd like to strengthen educational programs for
children and set up more activities for them in the community. He
also said the law should make it clear to parents that they bear some
responsibility for their children's behavior.

John Dennis said he'd like to reach out more to communities for help
in educating children about the dangers of substance abuse. He, too,
thought law enforcement needed to do or assist other agencies in
setting up more activities for kids.

Lou Roberts said he thought law enforcement should be doing more to
reinforce good behavior in children and encourage them to step up as
peer role models. More dialogue with parents is also necessary, he said.

Jim Peacock said it's important that law enforcement to act on some
level at the first sign of trouble in a young person. He also said
he'd like to see an in-house drug treatment center in the county.

Sonny Fortunato said he though prevention was the key. "Prevention is
a whole lot cheaper than intervention," he said. He said he'd also
like to start more programs for kids, giving as an example a youth
rodeo he helped establish.

Darryl Williams said he thought law enforcement should be
consistently present at popular gathering places for young people,
becoming a familiar sight as both a deterrent to drug activity and as
a source to turn to for help.

Aldrich Johnson said law enforcement should work with "grassroots"
resources like churches to attach the drug and alcohol abuse problem.

When asked how they would deal with those involved in underage
drinking, most candidates said they would use a "common sense"
approach with young offenders and offer them treatment alternatives.
Most advocated zero tolerance for any adult who would be involved in
providing alcohol to them.

When asked when they would expect to implement their visions and
policies if they were to win the office, most candidates said some
efforts would begin immediately, while a period of evaluation would
be needed for major changes.