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November 28, 2006

Sheriff: Don’t let your guard down

By Kim Sloan

You can never be too careful or overprotective when it comes to homeland security, said Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood in a speech to the League of Women Voters Tuesday.

“As soon as we let our guard down, something else is going to happen,” Chitwood said.

But Willard Quinn said he was bothered by provisions of the Patriot Act that appear to give law enforcement permission to wiretap anyone.

“Is it a threat to our personal lives?” Chitwood asked. “Personally it doesn’t threaten me because I don’t do anything. It is designed to monitor those people who pose a threat to society.”

“Well it bothers me but I’m just like you, I have nothing to hide,” Quinn said.

Chitwood said the federal Department of Homeland Security has a budget of $36.5 million and 184,000 employees.

But one of the best defenses that law enforcement has are citizens, he said.

“Know your neighbors,” Chitwood said. “Our best informants are our everyday citizens.”

Chitwood acknowledged that no security measure is 100 percent foolproof.

“Look at Oklahoma City,” Chitwood said. “Who would have been suspicious of a U-Haul truck sitting out in front of a federal building with its flashers on unloading?”

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