Sheriff Replies to ACLU Lawyer

I was deeply disturbed by ACLU attorney Rebecca Jurado’s comments in the May 28 issue of The Times. Jurado opposed legislation sponsored by state Sen. Marian Bergeson that would allow us to keep criminals in jail (and out of our neighborhoods) because she thinks the problem is that “we’ve got to have more jobs so people can earn an income and stay out of trouble.”

Jurado frankly misperceives the nature of reality.

Orange County we all know, is riding the tide of an economic expansion, to which no end is in sight. Our problem is not unemployment; the jobless rate in Orange County today is 3%. Employers are having difficulty finding people to take jobs that already exist!

The truth is, largely because the ACLU is more concerned with lawbreakers than with law-abiding taxpayers, that thousands of violent criminals are being released back into our communities each month because we do not have room to hold them. They are drunk drivers, drug pushers and violent felons, many of whom have spent plenty of time in jail before and surely will again after they are released from custody.

The problem is getting worse every day. In 1987, we were forced to release over 32,000 arrestees back into our neighborhoods. In 1988, the figure grew to more than 43,000. This year, we expect the numbers to surpass 50,000. As criminals begin to realize that they will not have to spend time in jail after committing crimes, Orange County will become vulnerable to the same kind of violence that plagues Los Angeles County today.

The only way to protect ourselves against drugs and violent crime is to invest in facilities to put criminals where they belong--in jail. The half-cent sales tax initiative is absolutely critical to this effort.

It’s time for everyone to acknowledge that our best interests are not served by listening to the American Civil Liberties Union. Our families are best served by making sure they are not forced to walk the streets in fear.

BRAD GATES

Sheriff-Coroner, Orange County