Drown Pledges to Serve Only 2 Terms as Sheriff

Jack Drown, candidate for San Diego County sheriff, pledged Monday that, if elected, he will serve no more than two terms and never seek another political office, urging his opponent, Jim Roache, to make the same commitment.

“What you need is a career law-enforcement professional,” said Drown, an assistant sheriff, at a morning press conference outside his Encinitas home. “I don’t think you need a professional politician who is looking beyond his position.”

Drown said that Roache, a sheriff’s captain who has held a spot on the San Diego city school board since 1986, might have his sights set beyond sheriff.

“I believe he has political ambitions,” Drown said.

Roache said Monday he has no intention of seeking another political office, “but I’m not going to presuppose that I won’t change my mind 10 to 15 years from now,” he said.

Roache also said he was the one to first pledge a two-term cap. A term as sheriff runs four years.

“Mr. Drown is a day late and a dollar short,” Roache said. “I have announced, since my initial announcement, that, if elected, I would serve no more than two terms and (Drown) originally in the campaign avoided the issue.”

The two will face off in the November election to succeed Sheriff John Duffy, who decided not to seek an unprecedented fifth term.

During the press conference, Drown took pains to emphasize that he would represent a change from Duffy, who has endorsed him in the race.

“I think we’re ready for a change,” Drown said. “People are tiring of seeing folks latch on to a political office and stay forever. I am assuring the people of San Diego County that I am not politically ambitious.”

Drown released a booklet called “A New Decade, A New Direction,” to outline some of his philosophies and policies as proof that he intends to make changes if he wins the seat.

Included is a policy stressing that guns and force should only be used by deputies as a last resort.

If lethal force is used, causing serious injury or death, Drown said the case will automatically be reviewed by the department’s internal Use of Force Review Board. Under existing policy, the cases are referred at the discretion of the undersheriff.

“Merely because law and policy allows you to use force, we must always ask if there is an alternative,” said Drown.

The Sheriff’s Department has been criticized for the May 18 shooting death of a 21-year-old man in Vista after deputies mistook the man’s red pickup for a stolen vehicle.

Drown advocated greater use of alternative weapons such as a gun that shoots .37-millimeter rubber projectiles instead of bullets and another that stuns a suspect with an electric jolt.

During the next 90 days, deputies from the Vista and Santee stations will be using these weapons on the street on a trial basis, said Deputy Larry Van Dusen.

Drown’s policies put a high priority on solving hate crimes, as well as setting up an internal committee to investigate complaints of discrimination and sexual harassment within the department.

Cultural awareness in the department will also be encouraged, and Drown said he would like to set up some type of salary incentive to encourage deputies to learn to speak Spanish.

It is important “to represent the community we serve and to be able to communicate with the community we serve,” said Drown, who does not speak Spanish but says he plans to learn.