A Sheriff in Mason County in Washington State is encouraging local residents to arm themselves in response to budget cuts in the department.
“I won’t say vigilante days, but we’re back to days when there wasn’t very much law around,” Bob Clark said. “We live in a very remote area and it’s a constant worry.”
Sheldon was quoted in a local newspaper as calling people on Seattle’s Queen Anne and Capitol Hill “wimps.” He has since backed off that statement.
Sounds like my kind of Sheriff.
UPDATE: Ooops… :g/Sheriff/s//County\ Commissioner/g
For those of you not Unix geeks, replace Sheriff with County Commissioner. That’s what happens when I skim through an article.
Yet another sobering reminder, law enforcement agencies will never be our personal bodyguards. With delayed response to emergencies at best, it is crucial for one to be mentally vigilant and prepared by whatever means to protect themselves and their loved ones. (At best within the confines of the law)..
It was NOT the Sheriff, in fact the Sheriff called the statement irresponsible. It was a State Legislator from the area that made the statement.
It was the County Commisioner and that is better than a leglislator since a commisioner makes policy.
I wish we had more like him on the east coast.
The Vigilance committees of old really get a bad rap…when in fact it was just the militia acting as the Founding Fathers envisioned…
Lots of rural law enforcement, I suspect, will never officially tell you what to do, but might in a side conversation tell you to be able to defend yourself. Response times for LEO in urban areas can be seconds. In rural areas… many minutes. Lots of area to cover, not as many people to cover it.