|
Post by concerned on Oct 5, 2006 9:44:15 GMT -4
Please know what you are talking about before you speak. Mr. Hofmann was working at this event. He has never, ever talked about politics while working. Do your homework and ask members of the Republican Central Committee who were told several times by this candidate that he was unable to talk politics while working. Several times during that week Mr.Hofmann declined to talk about the position and refused to take ANY DONATIONS...He has refused for the last year to discuss politics while in uniform or at a community meeting or event. Obviously you do not attend many community events or there would be no grounds for your comments.
This was not the same for the other candidates. This man is the definition of integrity. He has been in yours and mine community for 18 years and has affected our lives in one way or another. Don't you people see that this is all the more reason to vote for Hofmann. He has "always" been there for everyone......Where have the others been for the last 18 years or even a few months ago. Don't you see that the other candidates have just come out for political reasons??? Do you know he is responsible for more than 2 million dollars in grants to better our county. He is everywhere and will continue to be even after this election. You cannot get anymore dedicated than that.
He has worked with our children for so many years and I know that he has affected my community for decades. My children and grandchildren have had the benefit of knowing this man professionally and personally and the things I hear could not be further from the truth. Get to know this man and his true integrity before condemning him for doing his job.
Again the only thing that matters is that he is the only qualified person for this very important appointment. This is his life and has been 18 years in the making. Spend this time speaking to him and get answers to your questions.
|
|
|
Post by Some Beach on Oct 5, 2006 20:28:57 GMT -4
Alison Hofmann , don't you have a JOB other than responding to this blog . Who are you trying to convince that your husband is the right man for the job yourself?
|
|
|
Post by falgar25 on Oct 5, 2006 20:58:51 GMT -4
Alison Hofmann , don't you have a JOB other than responding to this blog . Who are you trying to convince that your husband is the right man for the job yourself? Let's, just for a second, assume you are right about who "concerned" is... WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? If it is Hofmann's wife, then is it any suprise that she supports him? Would you expect any different? Are you trying to imply that Deputy Hofmann's wife is the only one who would support him? The results from the Primary, the number of signs that private citizens have allowed on their property, and I would say otherwise. Can we please stop with the personal attacks and focus on the candidate's positions?
|
|
|
Post by Just the facts on Oct 6, 2006 10:01:20 GMT -4
I am also a concerned citizen and police officer. I voted for Marty Knight and don't know who to vote for in the general.
I hear a lot of talk about a quota system. Please be sure that your information is correct before placing it for all of the public to see. The public becomes enraged by the thought of a quota system. I know deputies within the department and can assure you that they have never been told how many stops or arrest they need to make. They have shown me their monthly activity sheet it has nothing to do with a quota. It is a management tool. Don't think that the sheet only shows traffic stops and arrest. In fact the one I looked at had places for court orders served, radar assignments, patrol checks, calls for service, reports written, etc. This is not an illegal system to use. It is a tool for the supervisors to use along with their observations of the deputies to grade them on their performance. I think the biggest injustice to the community would be not having any accountability for the deputy's time.
Also for the talks of the open air drug markets in the county, this is a joke. I agree that the county has a small drug issue. I now from where I work that sometimes the best way to catch drug dealers is to have covert officers sit and watch the suspected dealers do their thing and build a strong case against them before making an arrest. Thats just good police work. I'm not a fan of the patrol officer trying to shake down all the suspicious people they see around a drug area. I would consider that harassment! Plus if that patrol officer is tied up with a minor drug charge for several hours who will handle you 911 calls?? I know that this county has a drug unit, if you are concerned about the drug issue call them don't complain about on this website. I think the "drug problem" is just an easy campaign platform that people like to jump on.
In regards to the to "catch all" person leaving from a bar that has buzz. Lock their butts up! They are more dangerous than any drug. If a person wants to kill themselves by using drugs the hell with them because they had a choice. People that are killed by drunk drivers don't have a choice!
|
|
|
Post by Donna on Oct 6, 2006 10:14:55 GMT -4
..."In regards to the to "catch all" person leaving from a bar that has buzz. Lock their butts up! They are more dangerous than any drug. If a person wants to kill themselves by using drugs the hell with them because they had a choice. People that are killed by drunk drivers don't have a choice!"
If you really think this way then you really should re-evaluate you employment. Alcohol is legal, drugs are not. I agree that drunk drivers are a problem and should be dealt with accordingly, but I also think that traps for people that are really ok to drive are wrong. Back to drugs. People don't just kill themselves with the illegal substances, they sell them to others. Illegal drug trafficking is a problem in every community, and KI is no exception. Drugs are a problem with high school kids here, something that they aren't mature enough (as the law states) to make a decision about. I don't know how the local police work, but as an outsider it seems like the only thing that I ever see them doing is sitting along route-8 at night hoping for DUI's, or hanging out under the bridges in Grasonville hoping for speeders. I don't think that I'm alone on this either. Some work to curb the real problems here would greatly help sway the public’s opinion in your favor.
|
|
|
Post by Just the facts on Oct 6, 2006 11:45:47 GMT -4
How about we teach our kids some willpower. The problem these days is parents look to someone else to raise their kids. Teach your kids about the dangers of drugs and reward them for staying away from them. Teach them to tell a police officer if they know about drugs in the schools.
In regards to the police sitting under the bridges in g-ville trying to catch speeders. They are the State Police. They are mandated to enforce laws on state roads. I bet that every time some idiot flies by you on the highway and swerves in and out of traffic you say "I wish there was a cop around". Well they are trying to prevent this behavior by being visible on the highways. I bet you know not to speed on that stretch of route 50. There you go deterrent! Thats what the police are for! But I guess we don't want them unless we need them.
I feel the Sheriff's Office is doing a great job. They have always been there when the community need them. This county needs to realize that the citizens should help police themselves.
In regards to the traps for sober people. If you think your sober than take the Breathalyzer test!
|
|
|
Post by Brian Schwaab on Oct 6, 2006 13:08:21 GMT -4
In response to "just the facts" I do not know if you really are a police officer, however, I would question your info on knowing quota and evaluation info pertaining to the Deputies from the Queen Anne's County Sheriff's Office. I worked there as a Deputy and all we complained about within was the numbers we were ordered to produce. I have been directly ordered to write specific numbers and have received typed memos ordering such (still have copies). On that note you may want to check your sources. If they are Deputies who have been around for a while I think you will find out differently. New Deputies would be fearful to relay this type of info. So in closing know who you are trying to blow blue smoke to, as they may know differently.
|
|
|
Post by On the inside on Oct 7, 2006 6:33:07 GMT -4
Responding to "Just the Facts". If you think that the drug problem in the county is a joke then you might want to talk to the officers in the Drug Task Force. I think that you will find that you would be strongly disagreed with. In fact, when I told one of the guys in the Drug Task Force what your post read, they laughed. My suggestion would be that you might want to conduct some "ride alongs" with some Deputies or Troopers other than your friends in the Sheriff's Office or maybe attend some community meetigs. I would question the information on you being a police officer or a resident. I don't know any police officers who think the drug problem in any community is a joke, even if one house in the community is is a drug house. They would agree that it is one too many.
|
|
|
Post by falgar25 on Oct 7, 2006 16:09:18 GMT -4
For "just the facts"
Quotas vs. Management tools: If you cannot see that these are the same things, then what I'm about to write will probably be lost on you. But, just in the off chance that it isn't, here goes. Let's say a "quota" is a lower-limit number that a deputy must exceed in order to be move forward in his/her career. Your "management tool" is a page full of numbers that a supervisor will look at to evaluate whether a deputy is being effective in his job. Phrase it however you would like, if the numbers on that page are below some lower limits then the deputy's career will likely suffer. The deputies are surely intelligent enough to recognize this.
Take a look at the different items you listed as numbers on that management tool. How many of these are at the control of the deputy? There are only so many court orders to serve or reports to write. If I'm a deputy and I need to improve the appearance of the page that my supervisor is going to look at, the one thing I have some control over is number of tickets written.
On speed traps and/or bridge sitting: You might actually win that bet; that thought does cross my mind. I wish there was a cop around to ticket the slower drivers who refuse to move to the right. The "idiot" who "flies by me" isn't the problem for me, it's the idiots that either don't pay attention to their driving or simply believe they deserve to be in the left lane that need to be dealt with. When was the last time you heard of someone ticketed for not staying right? How about ticketed for not using turn signals? How about we start penalizing people for driving poorly rather than penalizing them for driving quickly?
On sobriety roadblocks: One of the biggest "legalized" invasions of privacy today. And, likely a poor use of resources. If I'm driving poorly, stop me and find out what the problem is. Am I drunk? Am I high? Am I sick? Am I simply being stupid? It doesn't matter, stop me and find out. On the other hand, if I'm not driving poorly, LEAVE ME ALONE! A roadblock stops everyone indiscriminently. The only reason I was stopped was because of the road I chose to travel on.
"In regards to the traps for sober people. If you think your sober than take the Breathalyzer test!" NOT IN THIS COUNTRY! In this country, you're not supposed to have to prove your innocence. I should no more have to take a breathalyzer test to prove that I'm not drunk than I should have to open my house to a search to prove I have no illegal weapons. If there's some reason to believe I have illegal weapons, get a search warrant and search my home. If there's some reason to believe I am too impaired to control my vehicle, then stop me and test me. The search warrant shouldn't be based on what road I live on and the breathalyzer test shouldn't be based on what road I'm travelling on.
Alcohol vs. Drugs I don't remember the last time I heard or read about someone being mugged or murdered for beer money. Other than during prohibition, I don't remember there being a big problem with illegal alcohol manufacturing. Other than a loss of tax money (a subject for another post) there isn't a big problem with beer smuggling. Now think about the drug problem both here and in the rest of the country; is there really any comparison? We can debate whether alcohol should be illegal and whether marijuana and other drugs should be legalized. There is certainly something to be said for leaving me alone to do what I want with my body. Right now, the crime involved with drugs is affecting many more people than just those who use the drugs. While the anti-alcohol people will make the same claim about alcoholism, the reality of the situation would seem to indicate that drugs are the more serious problem. So let's go after the real problem, the crime due to drugs, and stop spending valuable resources on what is little more than a public relations campaign.
When it is obvious that the authorities, including the Sheriff's Dept, are focussing on reducing real crime rather than generating numbers, then the people's opinion of them is likely to be much better than it is today. Today, seeing a Deputy or a Trooper causes most people to worry that they must be doing something wrong. Maybe someday, much as it was a while ago, seeing a Deputy or a Trooper will be more of a happy occasion. The candidate who will work towards that day will get my vote.
|
|
|
Post by Patrol Unit on Oct 7, 2006 18:25:24 GMT -4
I wish the citizens really knew how busy we are. It is very common on a twelve hour shift to run call to call. Some days we don't even have a chance to stop and eat. We always hear the statement "I guess this is the safest place in the county" when people see a few of us at a convenience store. So the next time you see a few of us eating together remember that you take a lunch break.
It is a shame that we don't have more man power but I blame this on pore planning that started years ago. Our department is full of extremely well qualified deputies that have the communities best interest at heart. I get so tired of reading about everyone complain about us. Most if not all of the complainers really don't know about police work.
In my police academy class our motto was "the cowards never showed up and the weak fell along the way". That sums it up we stood up and took an oath to protect our county. I feel that the least the citizens could do is support us even if they don't support our administration.
|
|
|
Post by Guest on Oct 7, 2006 21:36:29 GMT -4
As I watch this forum it seems as if Mr Hofmann wants to have it both ways. In one breath he lists himself as a "Command Deputy" in the next, he doesn't have the authority to make change. When I look at the administrator credentials of both it is clear that Mr. Hofmann gained his expertise starting his Tanning and Vending machine businesses. While Mr Hofmann started and continues to run his businesses, Mr Rhodes was apparently a high ranking officer within the State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police. For those of you who do not know, this department has Statewide authority which is obviously more than the local Sheriff, a much larger budget and quite a few more officers. (Maybe I am missing something here but I think living in Queen Anne's County and having a Sheriff with Natural Resource background is a good thing!)
While owning tanning businesses and a vending machine company may qualify Mr Hofmann as having experience to some, keeping the tanning beds clean and making sure the cigarette machines are full just does not seem to cut it to me.
When it comes down to it, the Sheriff is only as good as the staff that surrounds him and from every indication, the Deputies that are helping Mr Hofmann put up his signs and do his campaigning for him when they are working, does not seem to be who I want to see as Mr Hofmanns staff.
I would think that it would also be clear that Mr. Rhodes is the only candidate that knows the importance of good staff since an officer of his rank must have had good support to accomplish what he did.
I personally think that Mr Rhodes's experience as a town commissioner in Church Hill, and being re-elected several times should put to rest that he does in fact have the interest of the local people at heart. His has proven through re-election that his concern for the people of Church Hill is true.
We all can only hope that the majority of voters in our county realize that it is not only a time for change in the Sheriff's department but a change that will bring a breath of fresh air in from the outside, take a look at the serious deficiencies that we have in that department and make our county safer.
I guess the question really is, do you feel as if you will be as safe in the future with Mr Hofmann or Mr. Rhodes in charge? I for one am ready for real change and that change will not come from keeping the old guard in place.
|
|
|
Post by intheknow on Oct 7, 2006 22:05:07 GMT -4
I gotta agree with this last comment. I've worked with both these guys and there is no comparison. Rhodes is out to better the community and is genuine about his concerns for making this a safer community by enhancing and reorganizing the sheriffs department. Even though I know him, reading his campaign material informed me about just how qualified Rhodes is with all the things he has done and been involved in. Hofmann on the other hand is out to make sure he has a job when the election is over.
It really irritates me taht Hofmann says that he is a command deputy and wants to make change but can't. If he is a command deputy, then why can't he make changes? By the way,would somebody please tell me what a command deputy is.
|
|
guest
New Member
Posts: 30
|
Post by guest on Oct 8, 2006 18:41:00 GMT -4
guestStop with the negative comments...we are all tired of hearing it....That's enough.....
You will all hurt your candidate with the negative comments. Let these men have a fair and clean campaign. Dont you realize your comments can hurt your choice for sheriff.
This county cannot lose either way...they are both great men and we will benefit either way. They will both go on being great men even after the election is complete.
We cannot lose as a county. We are all tired beating this campaign, to death. Let the county decide in November.
enough is enough......respect this office as it should be!!!
|
|
guest
New Member
Posts: 30
|
Post by guest on Oct 8, 2006 20:39:38 GMT -4
I am sorry that some seem to think that my commentary was "negative" . I am only speaking the truth, and if it offends or strikes a nerve, that it must have some merit. I dont see how expressing my views and the facts I know to be true are negative. Please explain any area of my commentary that was not the truth as I and numerous others have also seen for themselves what I commented on is absolutely factual. Unbelievable............
|
|
|
Post by tired of it guest on Oct 9, 2006 10:57:56 GMT -4
grow up.....this is kid's stuff.....let the real facts be decided by the community. People like you have no integrity and obviously feel the only way your friend or relative can win is if you speak negatively about the other candidate. It's funny that the two candidates can get along and know they may be working with one another anyway, and friends and family members are negative campaigning for them...Both sides, not just your favorite. WE cannot lose. I will say it again over and over....Let it be please....both canidates are tired of hearing about it.
|
|
|
Post by Jessie Dalicieo on Oct 9, 2006 13:45:11 GMT -4
Didn't both candidates say " We look forward to running a clean race" in a recent article. Its a shame that family and friends are compromising the sheriff's race. Maybe some of you should take the advice of the sheriff candidate you are supporting. But then again, one candidate was told to not run negative ad's in the primary. It cost him the support from me. I hope you remember, sometimes the negative blogging and ad's, will give the vote to the other guy! Ask EB, it gave him -800 votes! Please positively support your sheriff, let us know about him, not this whining!
|
|
|
Post by QAvoter on Oct 9, 2006 14:23:49 GMT -4
No one knows for sure that candidates or family members are indeed the publisher of these blogs and the accusations against them are just as wrong as the blogs themselves. These blogs are voter's opinions and you can really only take them at face value. So whether you have concrete evidence for one candidate or another please stop all this slander.
|
|
|
Post by Name With held on Oct 11, 2006 11:19:29 GMT -4
As a former Deputy of the Queen Anne's Sheriff's Office I can shed some light to the real facts of the agency. Quotas are very much alive,real and apart of our departments daily operations. The administration likes to call this by a fancy term called goal objectives. Another words, Quota!Deputies get raises based upon how many citations and warnigns issued to citizens. Deputies get raises based upon how many DWI and drug arrets they make. Forget about the fact that a deputy is working a theft or other case, build a suspect, file charges and then get a conviction. This means nothing to the current command staff. It means nothing that deputies are visable in communites detering crime, checking bussinesses and making sure no one is breaking into homes. It's all about the numbers. And I'm here to tell you! Thats wrong! It's the job of the police (Sheriff's Dept) to protect and serve there citizens not hammer and stalk them. Deputies are underpaid, short staffed and expected to have high numbers in every area. This is how the current command staff treats there deputies by putting pressure on them with quota's and then holding there raises over them if they dont' give enough tickets out. It's time to get a new kind of Sheriff in there who will not tolerate this type of illegal activity. Mr. Hoffman is a very nice person, however he is a part of the command staff (as in his own word calls himself) and is apart of the illegal Quota's that are enforced.
|
|
|
Post by From within on Oct 11, 2006 11:37:42 GMT -4
Believe me! There is a quota system! I am also a concerned citizen and police officer. I voted for Marty Knight and don't know who to vote for in the general. I hear a lot of talk about a quota system. Please be sure that your information is correct before placing it for all of the public to see. The public becomes enraged by the thought of a quota system. I know deputies within the department and can assure you that they have never been told how many stops or arrest they need to make. They have shown me their monthly activity sheet it has nothing to do with a quota. It is a management tool. Don't think that the sheet only shows traffic stops and arrest. In fact the one I looked at had places for court orders served, radar assignments, patrol checks, calls for service, reports written, etc. This is not an illegal system to use. It is a tool for the supervisors to use along with their observations of the deputies to grade them on their performance. I think the biggest injustice to the community would be not having any accountability for the deputy's time. Also for the talks of the open air drug markets in the county, this is a joke. I agree that the county has a small drug issue. I now from where I work that sometimes the best way to catch drug dealers is to have covert officers sit and watch the suspected dealers do their thing and build a strong case against them before making an arrest. Thats just good police work. I'm not a fan of the patrol officer trying to shake down all the suspicious people they see around a drug area. I would consider that harassment! Plus if that patrol officer is tied up with a minor drug charge for several hours who will handle you 911 calls?? I know that this county has a drug unit, if you are concerned about the drug issue call them don't complain about on this website. I think the "drug problem" is just an easy campaign platform that people like to jump on. In regards to the to "catch all" person leaving from a bar that has buzz. Lock their butts up! They are more dangerous than any drug. If a person wants to kill themselves by using drugs the hell with them because they had a choice. People that are killed by drunk drivers don't have a choice!
|
|
|
Post by Deputy from within on Oct 11, 2006 14:05:51 GMT -4
As a current deputy of the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office I would like to shed light on the quota issue and set the record straight. Is there an illegal quota system at your county Sheriff’s Office! YOU BET THERE IS! Which is implemented and enforced by the current administration (Sheriff Crossley) as well as the current command staff. For those citizens or other officers who think otherwise, they clearly do not know what they are talking about. The current command staff can down play this illegal act, but it very real and happening in this era. The command staff can tell the public there is not a quota system and they will use fancy words like statistical data collection sheets, accountability sheets or my favorite saying, goal objectives. These words boil down to the very simple meaning of QUOTA! Deputies are on a pay for performance evaluation system and there raises are primarily based upon three categories. CITATIONS ISSUED, DRUG ARRESTS AND DRUNK DRIVING ARRESTS! Nothing else matters to the administration or command staff when it comes to police work. The fact that a deputy did an in depth investigation on a crime, charged a suspect and convicted him or her in court, means little or nothing to them. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS. Should a deputy not make his quota the command staff reminds employees that disciplinary sanctions can and will be taken against them, such as loss of take home car, suspend deputy from overtime assignments, lower pay raises. The fact that a deputy is out being visible in the community and checking on businesses means nothing to the command staff. There is a problem when law enforcement officers get more money in there paychecks for giving more tickets out. Just think about this for one moment. Deputies are having disciplinary actions threatened upon them for not making more arrests or issue more tickets. As if it’s the deputies fault that the driver is not under the influence of alcohol or has drugs on them. Shame on more citizens for not breaking the law in front of the police. I thought the goal of the police was to decrease crime. Once crime begins to decrease, arrests tend to go down. And this is a bad thing! such as less drunk drivers on the road. Am I missing something citizens. The current command staff is a part of this illegal system. If my memory serves me correct but isn’t MR. HOFMAN A CURRENT COMMAND STAFF MEMBER. SOUNDS LIKE HE IS A PART OF THIS SYSTEM! IS THIS THE KIND OF LEADER YOU WANT FOR YOUR SHERIFF! I THINK NOT! Mr. Hofman is a very nice person but we need more than a nice person as a chief law enforcement officer. The Citizens need a leader with a proven record. On November 7th, Vote for the right man for the job! MR. RHODES.
|
|
Former Deputy B Schwaab
Guest
|
Post by Former Deputy B Schwaab on Oct 12, 2006 8:21:11 GMT -4
To "Deputy From Within" HATS OFF!! to you for telling it the way it is. The public really needs to know what has been going on for along time. Crossley and Benton's time is limited, however, you must remain anonymous on this site for wrath of reprisal would strike you hard if they found out who you are. I left the agency for this very reason and to this day still have fond memories of working in the county, however, I was more interested in policing the communities than the administration's NUMBERS game. You know as well as I do that the agency needs a LEADER who will work to improve moral and allow the Deputies to serve the community as they have sworn to do. A TRUE LEADER will stand up for the Deputies in dealing with the county government and take the Deputy's as well as the Communities interests to heart. Then and only then will the agency have a LEADER who will be an asset to everyonein lieu of the liability that you currently have.
|
|
Law Enforcement Friend
Guest
|
Post by Law Enforcement Friend on Oct 20, 2006 13:06:07 GMT -4
I was able to attend the fund raiser for Charles Rhodes on October 19, 2006 at The Crab Deck. There was a large attendance of law enforcement officers, family, friends and citizens. Law enforcement was represented from Maryland State Police, Prince Georges County, Baltimore City Police Department, Kent County Sheriff's Office, Department Of Defense, Department Of Natural Resources, Anne Arundel County Sheriff's Office as well as other smaller agencies. This group included both active and retired officers including F.O.P. members, other law enforcement affiliations. The guest speakers included Queen Anne's County State's Attorney Frank Kratovil and Secretary David Mitchell of the Delaware Department of Homeland Security (Former Maryland State Police Superintendent). Also attending were some local politicians. Overall it was a very prestigious crowd and nice turnout. I will say that the speech given by Secretary Mitchell on Charles's career achievements and accomplishments was very well presented. His appreciation, respect and loyalty to Charles for his dedication to the law enforcement community, the citizens of Queen Anne's County, as well as the citizens of Maryland was quite obvious. A very nice event well attended with excellent community and law enforcement representation. If Charles Rhodes's dedication to duty is admired on this level by his peers, from a profession that highly competitive and at times very critical, if elected as Queen Anne's County Sheriff, both the law enforcement community and the citizens will chalk up a win. "GOOD LUCK CHARLES" signed "A Law Enforcement Friend"
|
|
guest
New Member
Posts: 30
|
Post by guest on Oct 28, 2006 13:06:11 GMT -4
I was wondering since Mr Hofmann did not get the majority of all of the Republicans votes in the primary election, has anyone heard who the other republican candidates for sheriff that did not win are endorsing? What I mean is that more republicans voted for someone else than they did for Mr Hofmann in their primary election. Thanks
|
|
|
Post by Voter on Oct 28, 2006 14:27:37 GMT -4
to guest Many of the republicans I know who did not vote for Mr. Hofmann will swing thier vote to Mr. Rhodes because of his professional experience, background and his plans for the agency and county.
|
|
|
Post by QA Resident on Oct 28, 2006 20:02:14 GMT -4
I'd still bet that Hoffmann got more votes in the GOP primary than there are Dem likely voters in the whole county. I realize a lot of PG, Montgomery and Baltimore folks may have taken up residence here in QA, but that doesn't make up for the fact that we are still a predominantly RED county.
I'm just viewing this from a pragmatic angle....everywhere in Maryland the Dems are in charge, law enforcement is the most jacked-up (like PG and Baltimore city).
|
|