'He ain't from around here' doesn't factor in

Cops are the same wherever you go. I was a cop for 33 years. I trained extensively with cops from all over the world, including military special ops folks. Never in all of those years did, “you ain’t from around here,” ever factor into whether a person could do a job or not.

What factored in every time was experience. Cops always pick the guy with the most experience to teach or supervise different units within law enforcement. “He ain’t from around here” isn’t a factor. I have listened to the three candidates speak several times. I have yet to hear any of them personally say, “He ain’t from around here”.  Why? Because they know it doesn’t matter. There is no substitution for the right kind if experience for the job. Cops everywhere, working or retired, know this without fail.

Cops are black-and-white professionals. Their job is to enforce a set of laws handed down by the United States Constitution and the state of Idaho. Lady Justice wears a blindfold for a reason. The blindfold represents impartiality, the ideal that justice should be applied without regard to wealth, power or identity. It is this very cherished concept that mandates cops who “ain’t from around here” to do their job.

When you remove all the personal bias there is only one candidate with the right kind of experience qualified to be the sheriff of Boundary County. That candidate is Jon VanGesen. It’s that simple.

STEVEN WILKINSON

Naples