Council, sheriff must seek common ground
A long simmering battle between the Sheriff's Office and Sussex County Council has taken on a decidedly Wild West flair in recent weeks, after the sheriff told police he was physically assaulted by a member of county council.
A few years back, there was a temporary lull in this longstanding conflict over just what the Sheriff’s Office is supposed to do. Democrat Eric Swanson defeated two-time incumbent Bob Reed, and for the four years of Swanson’s term, peace ensued.
That all changed when Reed’s former chief deputy, Republican Jeff Christopher, defeated Swanson's bid for re-election in 2010.
County officials say the job of sheriff is legally limited to serving court papers and holding sheriff's sales. They cite a 1999 ruling by the Attorney General's Office and other rulings that deputies do not have the necessary training to take on law enforcement duties. They also say training deputies is the first step toward creating an expensive and unnecessary county police force.
That view carried the day while Swanson held the office, but apparently voters are not entirely buying the county’s view. They instead elected a sheriff who said all along he wants training for his deputies so they can help the public as any other law enforcement officer would do.
Christopher won convincingly during the same election that also returned two Republican incumbents to county council by wide margins – including Councilman Vance Phillips, whom Christopher now accuses of assault.
This dispute has gone on long enough. It’s time for both sides to lay down their proverbial six-shooters. The people of Sussex County demand more from elected officials than backroom brawls.
A county police force is an expensive proposition; it’s clear the time is not right for that. But it’s possible deputies have time to do more than serve papers. If so, additional duties should be clearly defined – by policy, ordinance or state law – and deputies should be trained and equipped to do them properly.
