WCSO...What's next?

Does anyone know if the gym equipment was funded by the sheriff's office? I maintain its a legitimate expenditure for deputies and all law personnel, just as in other law and fire departments all over the world. But if anyone knows about how these things are funded, that could help clarify things.

You know, Misty, it is my tax dollars, too, and just maybe we can get more than three deputies at night in SoWal if we give a bit more. It is my opinion you are worrying about the wrong expenditure of MY tax dollars.

Well perhaps Andy A., if we didn't purchase an armored vehicle which is sitting in storage the Sheriff could afford to put 3 more deputies in the South end....just a hunch.

I'll ask the obvious question that, amazingly, was never brought up that I see. The whole thread is based on an assumption.

How does anybody know that the person on the bike didn't buy it himself?

Just sayin...

If he bought it himself, takes it to work and rides it on company time how is that better than the Sheriff outfitting and entire gym on the 2nd floor that off duty officers have access to?

You may feel better if you tell yourself that my tax dollars were spent on the fitness equipment while your tax dollars were spent on important stuff like defending the flying of a flag.

You may feel better if you tell yourself that my tax dollars were spent on the fitness equipment while your tax dollars were spent on important stuff like defending the flying of a flag.

Actually, you can thank the Uhlfelder's for that debacle. My participation in it didn't cost a dime of taxpayer money. Anything I said or did was done right here on this forum, from my home computer, for FREE.

I thought the armored vehicle was either free or ridiculously below actual value? I'm kind of glad it's in storage and not out burning tons of gas and becoming a maintenance nightmare.

I don't understand the call for additional deputies at night, other than 3 escaped convicts I can't remember another time there was a shortage of deputies. I just hope whomever is Sheriff in 6 years remembers it's time for escaped convict(s) to run around Walton county.

As for the gym I'm guessing it was furnished when the Sheriff's office was built. Which Sheriff was in office when that occurred?

Finally, didn't the Sheriff return money to the county last year? Any other constitutional officers do the same?

As for the gym I'm guessing it was furnished when the Sheriff's office was built. Which Sheriff was in office when that occurred?

Danny Glidewell can probably answer that since he worked under Ralph Johnson.

Finally, didn't the Sheriff return money to the county last year? Any other constitutional officers do the same?

Did he? Do tell.

I just hope whomever is Sheriff in 6 years remembers it's time for escaped convict(s) to run around Walton county.

Well, we do have an armored vehicle...just in case they go on a mad rampage and barricade themselves somewhere. If memory serves, I just had that conversation with someone here....

I'm sorry I believe it was a recent BCC meeting? Something about auctioned vehicles. I'm responding and watching football with one eye.

Since the topic / title of this post is WCSO...whats next, I figured I'd chime in.

Looks as if the Sheriff and Co., may be getting ready to loose their big "dog fighting" case that was so overly publicied in the local media.
Seems as if things may not have been what WCSO "said" they were...

Look for this possible failure to be a black eye on the administration as it was so heavily publicied and garnered media attention.

A new media target will need to be created to "show" everyone how great Mike is and why you should vote for him in 2016. There are many good men and women that work at WCSO. I do not like the way the Sheriff uses the media to spin stories in his favor, when the reality tells a very different story, AFTER the 15 minutes of fame has escaped everyone's minds.

Since the topic / title of this post is WCSO...whats next, I figured I'd chime in.

Looks as if the Sheriff and Co., may be getting ready to loose their big "dog fighting" case that was so overly publicied in the local media.
Seems as if things may not have been what WCSO "said" they were...

Look for this possible failure to be a black eye on the administration as it was so heavily publicied and garnered media attention.

A new media target will need to be created to "show" everyone how great Mike is and why you should vote for him in 2016. There are many good men and women that work at WCSO. I do not like the way the Sheriff uses the media to spin stories in his favor, when the reality tells a very different story, AFTER the 15 minutes of fame has escaped everyone's minds.

Have no idea what you're talking about but since it seems to be your sole mission to bash the sheriff on this forum I'm sure you'll come across with much more. Your vendetta is getting very tiring.

I don't know anything about this case except what I have seen or read on the internet or in the media but I will say this....I love animals. I'm not a fan of pit bulls or any other large dog breed just because of their size but if you are going to own an animal the very least you could do is make sure they have adequate food, water and shelter. I have seen the images of the dogs seized and for the most part the dogs appear to be in good health, some are a little thin and some of the older dogs did appear to have some scaring...whether from fighting them or not I don't know.

There were some other issues also which included drug and child endangerment charges.

For whatever it's worth...anyone who thinks its humane to chain a 10 pound puppy to a chain which could literally pull a loaded semi truck needs their head examined. Anyone who keeps a dog chained 24/7 is in my opinion an animal abuser.

Mike Jones, I only look to give you and others the other side of the coin on WCSO topics. I've always qualified my critique of the sheriff by stating he has many good officers working for him.
All is not a rainbows and unicorns, as you may think. But you probably don't care.
I in no way condone dog fighting and I love animals too. However, I do want to point out that when local police use the media to bang their drum about how great they are, they need to make sure all is such, prior to the drum banging. I'll remind some of you that remember about the Walton Academy Principal Case. That was a cover up, simple as that. When the incident was no longer fresh on the minds of most, here comes the media press release about the hero that saved the driver. Nothing about the DUI and how innocent lives could have been ended...
The Freeport dog fighting case is an example where the sheriff and his media cohorts have already prejudged the accused in the local papers. Remember the photograph of a woman handcuffed in a lawn chair? And, yes, those photos of puppies on large chain leashes... While I do not condone the chains, that sounds more like "abuse" as opposed to all the multiple counts of "dog fighting". Two very different charges, each with different implications.
It is my understanding that the Department of Children and Families have had to or will be giving the child back to the accused. This is due to misinformation that was allegedly used in the paperwork that was presented to a local judge that allowed the WCSO to get a search warrant. It appears that a case of possible animal abused was inflated, by false and misrepresented observations, to become the "First Dog Fighting Arrest in Walton County".
It is not uncommon for law enforcement to load up charges on a target they seek to arrest. The system will usually sort that out through the State Attorney and the Courts.
But using media to sensationalize a case and to adjudicate it in the papers and Facebook is something to be warry of. I feel this case will be one of those instances.

Sort of like the cluster F that the Grand Jury media has been. Its all about the ones that they don't like. Get their names in the paper and the citizens will form their uneducated opines from the Newspapers and other avenues. By the time the truth comes out, most have forgotten the original issue, but the stigma of that initial "accusation" will linger...

Oh John why not move?

Possible animal abuse? Really? The preponderance of evidence, the photo's and the living conditions of those animals strongly suggest to most normal people that those animals were absolutely being abused. Were they being fought? Again, I don't know because I didn't see the online videos of those dogs fighting that were reported to the Sheriff which helped secure a warrant. Is it possible the dogs were actually fighting? Again, the preponderance of evidence (IE) chaining those animals 24/7, inadequate food and water and their overall living conditions contribute substantially to aggressive behavior in any animal and yes they will fight for survival. They will fight for food, they will fight for water and they will bite the hand that feeds them in order to survive. If Ms. Greene and Mr. Bramlet are guilty of nothing else they are guilty of abusing those animals! Those animals needed to be seized and they should never, ever be allowed to own another animal. Even a rat being fed to a snake is treated better than those dogs were being treated.

The fact a child was involved makes it even more horrific. Pit bulls historically have poor eyesight and do not see well close up. If a child goes near those dogs with a bag of cheetos (or any food item) because of their keen sense of smell and poor eyesight and the conditions that existed that child could very well have become a meal. It's happened. In fact several years ago a child was mauled right here in Defuniak by a pack of pits and his friend was also bitten when he attempted to use a stick to fight off the dogs. The Department of Children and Family Services historically reunite children with their abusers because it's their job to "keep families together" so, its no surprise the child will be returned. Hopefully the dumb a$$es have learned their lesson and have been schooled in the art of parenting.

I can remember back in the day (during Patsy Registers' tenure as the Director of the old Humane Society) that she would actually HOST pit bull pulls at the Walton County Fairgrounds. Anyone who thinks its "normal" for a dog to pull in excess of 5000 pounds or that it isn't a training exercise for fighting, and that it is not abuse, is crazier than a bedbug. Teaching aggressive behavior in dogs is abuse!

You're right though, it is not uncommon for law enforcement to load up charges on a target they seek to arrest. So if those charges result in NOTHING ELSE, it will prevent those dogs from ever being abused again and hopefully it will prevent the owners from ever being allowed to legally own another animal.

I admit there are things about the Sheriffs budget that I don't like in regard to how taxpayer money is spent and I don't like how he panders to media attention but I don't have much to say in regard to how the job gets done. For the most part, I do think he is doing what the citizens expect and in the case of Bramlet & Greene I think he did what most people had the right to expect. The dogs are safe and no longer a threat to this Community. Now if they could just spay/neuter the owners and perhaps a lobotomy...