SHERIFF CANDIDATES FACE MAIN ISSUES

FAIRFIELD -- Sheriff Bat Masterson was more a gambler than a lawman but he
took custody of Doc Holliday for murder after the shoot-out at the OK Corral.

Sheriff Buford Pusser busted up the stills of Tennessee moonshiners and
watched his wife die before his eyes after bullets aimed at him slammed
into her head.

Sheriff Andy Taylor had batty Deputy Barney Fife as his faithful backup,
all the while keeping the peace in quiet Mayberry.

Being sheriff has a long and colorful history in this country, traveling
through the Old West of our past to the sleepy towns of fiction. Now,
modern sheriffs face challenges such as drug labs in barns, jail
overcrowding and budget problems.

It's a job that both incumbent Sheriff Gary Stanton and challenger Fred
Bailey Jr. want - both for the history of the position and the challenges
of the future.

They face each other in the March 5 election.

Deploying Deputies

In Solano County, the Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement in all
areas outside city limits, from the boggy edges of Suisun Marsh to the
rolling hills northwest of Vacaville. People in the department also run the
jail, provide security in courts and investigate deaths that occur under
suspicious or accidental circumstances.

The diversity of the duties provides a host of challenges - and provide
distinctions between the two candidates. How the sheriff deploys deputies
is just one area.

The majority of the community doesn't know only three deputies patrol the
entire county - from Dixon to Vallejo - at night, Bailey said.

Bailey will "revamp" the whole program, though he didn't want to elaborate
on his plan, he said.

The present administration doesn't "sit down and look at what they got and
how it could be used," Bailey said.

Stanton will start flexible shift schedules to increase the number of
deputies on patrol by providing an overlap of shifts.

Stanton also plans to work with labor representatives and the county's
Human Resources Department to get more money and better benefits which will
attract better applicants and keep employees happier and in Solano County
longer.

Last year, inmates experienced a month-long lockdown due to the shortage of
correctional officers, many out on work-related injuries, vacation or sick
leave. During lockdown, inmates are confined to their cells except for
brief periods of recreation or to see visitors.

"You've got guys working 16 hours, 12 hours. When it's forced, their minds
aren't on the job. That's when injuries occur," Bailey said. "If they
worked their regular eight hours, they'd stay alert, be able to see things
coming."

"The budget is never together like it should be," Bailey added, who'd start
by cutting back overtime.

The department incurs millions annually on overtime, Bailey said.

Money paid out on overtime could've been used to hire more officers, he said.

But paying correctional officers overtime wasn't feasible because there
wasn't enough money in the budget, the sheriff has said. The budget allowed
for only a certain amount of overtime.

More Training, Programs On The Horizon

While in the Marshal's Office, Bailey had training sessions videotaped via
satellite dishes, which officers would review each morning before their day
officially started, he said. Training consisted of officer safety in the
courtroom and around vehicles, and walking through various scenarios.

He'll implement weekly training to get more consistency, he said.

Meanwhile, Stanton plans to expand the residency program with four more
deputies who will be assigned specific areas to work where they also live.
It has to do with community policing - deputies knowing the residents,
building trust and creating a rapport.

He rallied to recently get a $1 million state grant to fund a
methamphetamine enforcement team which will be charged with finding and
eliminating clandestine meth labs throughout the county. He continues to
assign a deputy to the Solano County Narcotic Enforcement Team to address
the problems of methamphetamine and marijuana, which continue to be the
drugs of choice in the county.