Candidate: Earl Butler
District: Cumberland County Sheriff
What endorsements have you received for your current candidacy?
I have been endorsed by dozens of organizations and may individuals throughout the county and the state.
If offered, would you accept contributions from political action committees affiliated with the real estate industry? (RPAC, Buildpact etc.)
Yes.
What are you going to do for homeowners/property owners in Cumberland County if elected?
We will continue to provide the best services for the homeowners and property owners that we possibly can. For the 20 years that I have served as Sheriff, I have brought the values of our community, my beliefs and innovation to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. I brought new concepts, such as community policing, on-board cameras and computers in patrol vehicles and other new ideas, while never forgetting the need to personally care for and be involved with our citizens. We have constantly upgraded our technology and techniques and maintained and we will continue to advance a Sheriff’s Office in which: (1) the community has reposed great trust and confidence and continues to do so; (2) crime prevention and control capabilities are continually expanded and strengthened; (3) essential operating policies and management procedures are properly formalized and promulgated; (4) fair and nondiscriminatory personnel practices were and are established and implemented; (5) interagency cooperation and coordination was and is fostered and effected; and (6) the provision and delivery of services to the community was, is and will be constantly improving.
The record of the Sheriff’s office is one of achievement and progress, and I ask the homeowners and the property owners as voters to allow me to continue to prove my dedication to their protection and progress.
How will you reduce property crime in the county?
We will continue to expand our crime prevention and crime control capabilities. Our community policing program has been continually recognized since 1998 as one of the best in the state and the country. As a result of our community policing and our anticipatory preparedness, crime in Cumberland County has been decreasing, and we expect it to continue to decline. We are looking toward the institution of a comprehensive copper theft prevention program, and an anti-break-in and anti-vandalism campaign.
What are your thoughts on a new parks and rec bond referendum?
A referendum, in almost all instances, is preferable to circumstances in which the voters are merely polled or not allowed to express the voters are merely polled or not allowed to express the voters’ beliefs on important issues.
What new ideas/concepts can you bring to the office you are seeking?
Under my leadership, we have advanced the abilities and operations of the Sheriff’s Office, and we will continue to do so. We have developed crime prevention and control capabilities, and they will be continually expanded and strengthened. We will continue to expand the use of technological resources to aid, not only in the fight against crime, but in the provision of other services which the Sheriff’s Office must provide, including service of civil process, gun permitting, and other services. The delivery of these and other services to the community is and will be constantly improving to the highest level obtainable in light of the constraints of need, demand, budget, and resources.
