WAR ON DRUGS IS TOP PRIORITY FOR LINCOLN SHERIFF CANDIDATES

STANFORD -- Although the two candidates running for sheriff in the
Democratic primary in May disagree on a variety of issues, the drug problem
in Lincoln County isn't one of them.

Incumbent Shelby Lakes and challenger Fred McCoy both have pledged to work
hard to rid the county of an ever-growing drug problem and provide better
service to the community.

Shelby Lakes

In deciding to run for re-election, Lakes said one of the most important
issues to be addressed was the sheriff's department's continued battle
against illegal drugs.

Lakes said, during his term in office, the sheriff's department has
initiated and participated in several dozen drug investigations and
arrests. As a result, the department has received seized funds from drug
dealers and some of those funds are in his 2002 budget. Lakes said more
drug funds are expected once they are released by the court system.

Another issue important to Lakes is making the office a more professional
and efficient operation, which he says he did during his first term by
outfitting the office with a computer and digital camera, obtaining a
laptop computer for use in cruisers and new software that will computerize
tax records.

Lakes said the new software, which should be implemented in the next year
or two, will cut the time for billing and collecting taxes to a fraction of
the time it now takes.

The new equipment was made possible through an equipment grant from the
Center for Rural Development in Somerset.

Lakes also touts an unusually high percentage of tax collections, which
should reach 97 percent by the April deadline.

Additionally, Lakes acquired new patrol cars during his administration to
ensure deputies had reliable vehicles to answer police calls and serve
summons. The department has four new vehicles, two of which will be
completely paid for this month. A fifth new cruiser will be added later
this year, Lakes said.

Asked about his competitor's campaign promises to improve the sheriff's
office by adding more full-time deputies and introducing special deputies,
Lakes quietly responded, "I have a philosophy of not making promises I
can't keep."

However, Lakes did say the sheriff's department cannot have part-time
deputies because the state will not grant them certification. Lakes said
although the Fiscal Court may provide funding to hire more deputies at some
point in the future, he would not make any promises to that effect.

Lakes has said the one promise he will make is to keep honesty and
integrity in the sheriff's department and a commitment to doing the best
with the resources available.

Lakes has more than 25 years of experience in law enforcement, dating back
to his service as a military police officer for two years in the Army. Just
prior to his election as sheriff, Lakes retired as a trooper with the state
police after 23 years.

Deputies serving under Lakes include Toby Henderson, Ronnie Smith, Bill
Schnitzler, Linda Demaree and Marvin Rogers. With the possible exception of
Rogers, who is running for jailer, all deputies will remain in their
current positions.

Fred McCoy

McCoy said the issue of drugs will be his top priority if elected.

When asked specifically what he would do to tackle the drug problem if
elected, McCoy said he'll work.

"A sheriff needs to put in more than eight hours a day. What I'll be is a
working sheriff," said McCoy. "I will show up when called and my deputies
will treat people with respect."

Drugs may be McCoy's top priority, but his campaign advertisements also
have chosen to address the issue of a stronger police presence out in the
county.

McCoy said more deputies on patrol is one of many weapons in combating the
war on drugs. If elected, he said, he will make this happen by adding a
full-time detective to handle drug and theft complaints, as well as
increase the number of deputies by two and add special deputies to the
department.

McCoy said he will contribute half his salary to pay for the addition of
one deputy and funding for the salary of the other deputy will become
available when McCoy eliminates the clerk's position, currently held by
Karen Lakes.

Special deputies are unsalaried positions because they are volunteers from
the community who are not officially trained to be law enforcement
officials. They merely ride along with deputies who are on patrol,
according to McCoy.

Additionally, McCoy said more can be done by the sheriff's department to
take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to the sale of illegal drugs.

"When a complaint about drugs is made, an investigation needs to be
launched and the police need informants to help them," said McCoy. "That's
why this county needs a detective, because the drug problem is so big here
- -- as it is in other counties."

McCoy believes the sheriff's department also should be more involved in
larger drug busts typically handled by state police and the Drug
Enforcement Agency.

"We've missed out on a lot of money here in this county by not making some
of the big drug busts the state police and DEA handled," McCoy said. "Just
look at the $2 million recovered from the bust of Tony Bryant, and the
sheriff's department was not involved."

McCoy wants to have more patrols, get constables more involved in serving
papers and have a good working relationship with the state police.

"I want Lincoln County to have a 24-hour-a-day sheriff and show the
community what a great sheriff's department we can have," he said.

McCoy has 22 years of experience in law enforcement and is the current fire
chief and police chief for the city of Hustonville.

McCoy began his career in the Marine Corps and once his enlistment ended
became a special deputy with the sheriff's department in Jacksonville, Fla.

After returning to Kentucky, McCoy served as a deputy with the Pike County
Sheriff's Department for nine years. He then moved to Hustonville and was
hired as police chief. He left that position to work with Lincoln County
Sheriff's Department as a deputy for seven years.

McCoy plans to have former Lincoln County sheriff Earl Dean McWhorter serve
as his chief deputy and will add Doug Combs to the list of deputies. McCoy
said all current deputies will be invited to continue in their current jobs.