LAKEPORT — Sheriff candidates battled back and forth Wednesday during a public debate in front of a rowdy crowd.
Incumbent Sheriff Rod Mitchell and challengers Jack Baxter and Francisco Rivero placed blame, called out what they believed to be untruths and even agreed with each other at times. Baxter and Mitchell declined to point out their opponents” worst qualities after pointing out their best during one of the questions, but Rivero didn”t hold back.
About 100 people attended the debate in the Board of Supervisors Chambers in Lakeport. Audience members hollered, cheered and even talked over the candidates. LakeCoNews and the Lake County Chamber of Commerce co-sponsored the event. The candidates will debate again 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center at 15500 Central Park Road in Middletown.
The hopefuls answered questions on credibility, the Narcotics Task Force, civilian oversight, concealed carry weapons permits, legalization of marijuana in California, the case against Bismarck Dinius, legislation requiring fingerprinting for ammunition, public law 280 regarding local tribes and medical marijuana.
Baxter said he believes the Sheriff”s Office has a credibility problem.
“I blame it top down,” he said.
Baxter said he thinks the department needs to be more transparent and work with the community to better do its job.
“The bottom line is there are people in this county who are afraid,” he said.
Baxter doesn”t think residents should be afraid, that they should be able to work with the Sheriff”s Office to make the county a better place to live.
Mitchell agreed that there was a credibility problem with some people in the department but he thinks there are plenty of good people who still believe in the office. He thinks part of the problem is a few people in and out of the department trying to malign the office with false allegations, he said.
Mitchell said he thinks there is not a “more transparent organization than the Lake County Sheriff”s Office.”
Rivero said allegations against the department about the Dinius case and helicopter use are not false.
“Not only does this department have credibility problems, it has a crisis of legitimacy,” he said.
Rivero said people are looking for a manager and he can be that manager to bring the sunshine back to Lake County.
Rivero said he would immediately work to reinstate the Narcotics Task Force to combat methamphetamine.
“The county is suffering from a high increase in crime,” Rivero said. “I think that can be directly attributed to meth problems.”
Baxter said he agrees with Rivero that law enforcement agencies need to work together to combat drug crime. He said he thinks marijuana is a big issue in the county with organized crime growing on private and public land.
Mitchell said he doesn”t have the power to end or reinstate the task force and that methamphetamine was and continues to be a problem in the county.
Mitchell said he doesn”t support the same type of civilian oversight as his opponents. He thinks being an elected official, being reviewed by the grand jury and having the Department of Justice is civilian oversight.
“I do not support the establishment of more bureaucracy,” Mitchell said.
“I will obey the law and sometimes that requires silence,” he said.
Rivero wants to create civilian oversight with an office of citizen complaints and a citizen review board, he said. He thinks there”s disparate treatment among officers, some get away without penalty and others receive unfair punishment. Rivero thinks civilian oversight would have been fairer to him in the internal affairs case against him.
Baxter said he didn”t originally favor civilian oversight but he thinks it”s necessary for the LCSO where people “disappear overnight.”
“I never understand how they go so quickly when others hang on for months,” he said.
Baxter said he”s “mindboggled” by what he sees in the department.
“These people are charged with protecting us. They need to enjoy their jobs,” Baxter said. “There”s not a lot of happy campers over there. They”re afraid to open their mouths.”
All the candidates said if someone comes to the department for a concealed weapons permit and qualifies they would issue the permit.
Baxter said in 38 years of law enforcement he can count on one hand the times people legally carrying weapons misused them.
Rivero said he would issues the permits without prejudice.
Mitchell said he issues permits without prejudice and since he took office the number of people carrying doubled.
Each candidate also said they do not support legislation requiring people to be fingerprinted for ammunition.
Mitchell said he doesn”t support the legislation legalizing marijuana in California because it doesn”t resolve the issue of state law breaking federal law.
Rivero said eventually he thinks marijuana will be legalized and the state needs to prioritize which crimes to pursue.
Baxter said he was unsure whether legalizing marijuana in the state would reduce the department”s caseload.
“I am not in favor of it,” he said. “But majority rules.”
Contact Katy Sweeny at kdsweeny@gmail.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
