SILENCE OF THE SHERIFF

The taxpayers of Chambers County may soon be faced with lawsuits
surrounding the sheriff's department and we think they need to know why.

To date, however, Sheriff Monroe Kreuzer is keeping us all in the dark.

A former chief deputy and a sergeant are considering wrongful termination
lawsuits, a drug dog company says it will sue if the county fails to honor
a $40,000 agreement the former chief deputy approved without proper
authority, and then there is the fellow falsely arrested and jailed for
drunken driving.

In spite of recent indictments and revelations of management missteps, the
people of Chambers County have not been given a thorough explanation as to
what went wrong or how it will be prevented in the future.

The sheriff's silence speaks volumes about his leadership.

Let's review:

Sgt. David Beck was fired Friday, and Chief Deputy Dearl Hardy two weeks
before. Kreuzer gave the same reason for both terminations: violation of
Chambers County policies and procedures.

Kreuzer refused to specify what policies or procedure were violated, however.

Beck had been on paid administrative leave for more than three months
before Kreuzer fired him via certified letter. He remains under
investigation by the Texas Attorney General's Office for allegedly stealing
a wallet and two knives belonging to a Louisiana couple who had been
arrested on drug charges.

Hardy was fired two weeks after it came to light that Chambers County is
facing potential litigation over an agreement between Hardy and the Hill
Country Dog Center for a $40,000 purchase of four drug dogs.

Before Hardy's dismissal, three other deputies either resigned or were
terminated following their grand jury indictments on a range of charges,
including falsifying arrest reports -- allegedly ordered by Hardy.

That's a lot of something for a small county.

And yet, the sheriff has refused to discuss or disclose the facts of what
is clearly of interest to the tax-paying public.

And that gives us a cause for concern.

Kreuzer has said he wants the department to "be truthful in everything we
do." That's an honorable goal, but since honesty and integrity are basic to
a law enforcement job description, it is also less than reassuring to the
worried citizens of Chambers County.

What is equally troublesome is the defensive, sheriff's response to
legitimate public safety inquiries. How did this happen? What are you doing
to see that this does not happen again? What incidents or violations caused
the firings?

When faced with unflattering revelations, the first reaction of too many
law enforcement agencies is to close ranks, withhold information, and
protect their fellow officers. This silence presents an impenetrable bar to
the public's right to know.

The Chambers County Sheriff's Department must come clean about whatever
malfeasance might have occurred. We believe Monroe Kreuzer and the other
government leaders of Chambers County are honorable people. Out of respect
for the voters who put them in office and the taxpayers who pay their
salaries, we encourage them to immediately address these pressing concerns.

Let us hope that no one else is falsely arrested or victimized before the
Chambers County Sheriff's Department grants equal attention to the
interests of the citizens it is sworn to protect.

Today's editorial was written by David Bloom, managing editor of The
Baytown Sun, on behalf of the newspaper's editorial board.