Former sheriff supports Sprungl for re-election

I am amazed at the fact that our sheriff has been doing his job for 3 1/2 years and all of a sudden he’s not doing the job good enough.

It’s an election year, and the games have begun.

As a former sheriff, I can honestly say that there were times I wished that the sheriff was an appointed position. I had to deal with the same situation that Sheriff Greg Sprungl is dealing with, which is to say he has an employee running against him.

When an employee elects to run against his boss, it creates a very uncomfortable situation in the office. The staff in the office has to endure a very difficult situation.

Loyalties have to be suppressed for the fear of retaliation should the candidate they are supporting lose the election. A person who really cared about the office would take a leave of absence to avoid causing internal strife.

Sheriff Sprungl and I have butted heads in the past, but we have both walked in the same shoes and know what we talk about. I know from personal experience that Greg Sprungl cares about the sheriff’s office and the people that work there and the community they serve.

Sheriff Sprungl has never used his position for any type of personal gain and has endeavored to provide the best service he can, to the community, with the budget he is given.

Sheriffs are mandated by the state code to ensure that their jails are run in accordance with the Idaho State Jail Standards. These codes ensure that the staff and inmates are given an environment that is as healthy as possible and allows the sheriff to recoup some of the costs incurred by the inmates by having the inmates reimburse the sheriff’s office for certain expenses.

As for qualifications for the office of sheriff, there are none. Any person in the county of legal age can run for election. Qualifications are a good thing, but you can bet that anyone who is in a position of command, whether it be a patrol supervisor, a jail commander or the head dispatcher, has had some training at the county’s expense.

I guess the bottom line is there’s always room for improvement, but I would urge people to talk with the sheriff and voice their concerns in person and not be swayed by election year rhetoric. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Retain Sheriff Sprungl and let him continue his work.

Bruce Whittaker

Naples