Other Taft Articles:
Sex Treatment Program Allegedly Runs on Fear, Intimidation & Pornography
By
Investigative Reporter
John Taft
May 30, 2003
NewsWithViews.com
GRANTS PASS, Oregon -- What do you do if you�re the sheriff of Josephine County and your budget is being cut due to an economic recession? If you�re David H. Daniel, you remodel your office; it�s good therapy for the blues. That�s right, you get new wallpaper and have a custom made desk and get new furniture. It cost this reporter $18.61 in cash to ferret out his information from a reluctant sheriff. It took a sheriff�s office employee one-hour to pull three invoices out of a file. One hour to find three invoices? The remodeling of Daniel�s office cost taxpayers $2,962. Daniel had so much fun spending this money he also had the Cave Junction office remodeled for $660. The total costs were $3,622. If Dave were a good steward of taxpayers� money during this time of economic recession, he could have bought a nice oak desk at a county auction. There were reportedly several of these desks that went for $6 dollars each. Daniel gave his used furniture to a struggling deputy district attorney. Interestingly, the furniture was good enough for someone else but not good enough for Daniel. Daniel is often referred to as the million-dollar sheriff.
Sheriff Attempts to Pluck Plucked Goose to Feather Nest
A county commissioner and others told me Daniel had the nicest office of any county official. Now why would he choose to spend several thousand dollars on remodeling his office when patrols are being reduced and the jail is underfunded? The total jail population has been reduced from about 170 inmates to 130. About thirty of these are federal detainees. The result is that the old jail (dungeon) when being used was capped at 64 inmates, and the new multimillion-dollar jail now houses only 36 more inmates. Is this cost effective? The sheriff recently showed up at a budget hearing on May 12, trying to pluck feathers for his nest from an already plucked goose. He complained that he shouldn�t have to ask for money. The commissioners should give him what he wants without his asking. Apparently it�s too humbling for Daniel to ask for money and not fitting for someone as important as he is. When running for office in 1998 Daniel chided former Sheriff Dan Calvert for asking for more money by saying, "The sheriff got his budget cut, sure, but you do the best you can with the funds you have to operate any agency. The sheriff only gets a certain amount of money. You do the best you can to continue to serve the citizens of Josephine County with that amount of money." Daniel gets 3 to 4 million more dollars than Calvert did, the county jail now holds only 36 more inmates than the old jail, patrols have been reduced, and services in general are being cut-back. This is what the taxpayers are getting for their millions of dollars going to the Daniel administration. Daniel was a gonna (sic) be a can-do sheriff when running for office, but appears to be a can�t-do sheriff when he got the job. He�s like the little boy in school who raises his hand when the teacher asks a question, and then doesn�t know the answer.
And the Winner is: Daniel Pays $23,100 to Results Group, Ltd.
Another boondoggle was paying for a service Daniel apparently failed to put into use. Daniel hired Steve Kent of Results Group Ltd. at a cost $23,100. Results Group was first hired by the county commissioners and then let go. Daniel then hired Results Group to help solve problems that have been reported about in the Oregon Observer and the Grants Pass Daily Courier. Kent provided Daniel with lots of suggestions on ways to improve the operation of the sheriff�s office. If any of Steve Kent�s suggestions were used, perhaps the sheriff would like to explain what things he put into practice to improve the operation of the sheriff�s office. If Daniel is unable to do this, it would seem to be excellent proof the $23,100 spent was an expensive boondoggle. This would be a service paid for but not used, and is no fault of the Results Groups Ltd. Just these three items, the fee paid the Results Group, the office remodeling, and the $18.61 for finding three invoices on a public information request by this reporter certainly appears to demonstrate a high level of incompetence in the administration of the Josephine County Sheriff�s Office.
Sheriff Daniel is like a Little Boy Spending his Allowance in a Candy Shop
Daniel has lots of ways to blow budget dollars. For example, how about a magnetic card to stick on your refrigerator in case you need to call 9-1-1, or remember who�s the sheriff? Of course, Daniel has his name on the card in big black letters so you can�t miss it. Daniel has another card up his sleeve; this one is a wallet calendar with his name in extra large capital letters. He wants the reader to know he�s sheriff. The key ring he puts out is cute. It�s a picture of a police car on a piece of white plastic with his name across the door and a ring to put your keys on. He also has been running an ad in the Grants Pass Daily Courier promoting safety and of course his name and mug shot are in the ad. I�ve saved the best for last. I have the above trinkets in my possession but I don�t have the little Swiss knife Daniel reportedly bought, had labeled, and passed out to friends. I�ll bet it has his name on the handle in big letters. It�s amazing what getting elected sheriff can do for the ego. Like the fellow down south says, "Shucks, before being elected sheriff I were just a pip squeak, now I are a sheriff."
Call the Josephine County Sheriff�s Office and get your Free Trinkets
Daniel had never run a multimillion-dollar sheriff�s operation before he came back to Josephine County. He appears to be insecure and has a need for recognition, hence the trinkets with his name on to pass out to friends, and the public. If the reader would like any of the above trinkets, call the JoCo sheriff�s office at 541-474-5123 and ask for David H. Daniel. Maybe you could hit the jackpot and get a genuine Swiss army pocketknife with Dave�s name on the handle. These items may become valuable collectibles in the future. There�s a limited supply, so don�t miss out, act now. It�s all paid for with your own tax dollars.
� 2003 John Taft - All Rights Reserved
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John Taft former president of Josephine County, OR. Taxpayers Association is presently an investigative reporter for the US-Oregon Observer and NewsWithViews.com. He has had many years of broadcasting, news writing and reporting experience. He also has written a popular conservative newsletter for a taxpayers organization to inform the public on taxing issues. John can be reached at joconewsline@hotmail.com John's Web site: StrobeZone.com
"Daniel has lots of ways to blow budget dollars. For example, how about a magnetic card to stick on your refrigerator in case you need to call 9-1-1, or remember who�s the sheriff? Of course, Daniel has his name on the card in big black letters so you can�t miss it. Daniel has another card up his sleeve; this one is a wallet calendar with his name in extra large capital letters. He wants the reader to know he�s sheriff."