well put!

Although David isn't a "dog catcher" as Roger would like to say, I think it says a lot about Roger's outlook on others to belittle Animal Control Officers/ County Marshalls the way he does and I find it very offensive. He acts like they are below him and they are nothing. Roger needs to be reminded that their job is important too and he also needs to be reminded what he was doing working at DNR with little to no leadership skills when he became Sheriff! It's time for all politicians to step down and change where this country is going and for us to clean out the corruption.

I hate politics. Who in their youth hasn't done something stupid. I wouldn't bet any money that his supporters weren't behind the release of this decades old photograph. It was making fun of ignorant KKk people not wanting to be one.

The fact that Mr. Waters can bring up nothing else about the Sheriff to attack him with says a lot about Mr Waters character as well as that of the Sheriff who did nothing wrong but make fun of a hateful group.

So if someone dresses as Hitler for halloween they should never in their life run for public office because someone like Mr. Waters will try to crucify them in the public eye. All the good you have ever done wouldn't matter only focus on the fact that you may have been a nazi sympathizer.

Come on people. Don't be so stupid as to fall for dirty politics when you go to vote.

As far as corruption goes. What corruption? Who has alleged any corruption whatsoever?? The corruption was swept out when John Seay was finally removed along with his midget sidekick Orlando years ago, by none other than our current Sheriff Roger Garrison. Roger may not be perfect, but to say his name and corruption in the same paragraph is WRONG.

This whole county is full of corruption, unfortunately. And it can't leak out because the people who have all the information know that if it was released, all fingers would point back to them and they are scared of what Roger would do to them. That's sad. We have school board members being arrested several times for DUI, and even once when they were arrested, they said they had left Roger's house and was wearing his pants. But because Roger is the Sheriff and he said it wasn't true- no investigation was done. We have had a few commissioners caught using drugs or being in vehicles of others doing drugs and because the sheriff is who he is, nothing was done. And that's just the tip of the iceburg.

I remember that school board man being arrested for DUI. But I don't get how you are saying it wasn't investigated CFC. If the man was arrested it was obviously investigated? He was in his thirties or forties as I recall. I remember seeing his picture in the news media. Dark hair with a beard (can't remember his name).

I'm not saying he wasn't investigated. I'm referring to investigating our Sheriff allowing another to drink and drive. Just because Roger said it didn't happen, then everyone believed it to be so.

Actually he said he was at the Sheriff's house the day before. I found the article http://www.ledgernews.com/classifieds/2922 .

http://canton-ga.patch.com/articles/cherokee-schools-spokesman-has-been-arrested-twice-before-for-dui
http://chronicle.augusta.com/latest-news/2011-01-07/stopped-dui-wearing-ga-sheriffs-pants?v=1294383881
http://www.ledgernews.com/classifieds/2922

All three state: When asked about where he was coming from, McGowan reportedly told the officer “Roger Garrison’s house.”

Im not even sure what crime you would want investigated beyond the DUI?

Im not saying its a crime. Im saying it corrupt. Not all corruption is illegal. Its not illegal for Roger to have Cherokee pay for certain coworkers to go to college just because he favors them more, but its not right (check the expense reports). Its not illegal for him to not have a person of color on his command staff except once for a short period of time in 20 years but he hasn't. And when he did, it was publicized everywhere because it was rumored he was racist (again, all public record). And it can't be because he can't find anyone qualified because the sheriff can make anyone a captain or above without testing or qualifications. The ONE who was chosen in the past 20 years lacked experience- thus the reason she didn't last long...because she was a pawn in the game.
Corruption doesn't have to be illegal as long as you play the cards right.

Do you mean ethnicity or person of color? Because it is pretty difficult to separate the Jewish community from the topic of oppression. And I know he has had more than one Jewish person on his command staff.

I'm referring to a person of color- someone not caucasian. If you look at his entire command staff- Lieutenant, Captains, Majors, Chief, etc., you will see they are all caucasian/ white. And when he's re-elected, he'll create a Colonel position for another one of his caucasian friends to be appointed too, which means- yep... more tax dollars for another supervisor that isn't required.

First let me say that I am a Deputy at the Sheriff’s Office. That said I have not been put up to this and I am doing this because I feel that there is some misinformation being put out there by some people.

Concerned, You are right there are currently no “persons of color” in the position of Lieutenant or above. That said there are several that are Corporals and Sergeants. Even though there are no “persons of color” in the upper ranks there are homosexuals in the upper command staff. They have worked their way up from Deputies to Lieutenant and Captain. They both do wonderful jobs.

Also there is a female Sergeant, who is a “person of color” in the ADC that is in charge of a section that includes both Deputies and Civilians. That Sergeant has also made their way to the top of the Lieutenants list and is currently awaiting an opening for that rank. There are also several Corporals who have worked hard and are awaiting promotion.

While I am sure that I will be attacked by certain people on here I am simply trying to get the correct information out there. Everyone should vote the way the feel is best for them. I am not trying to turn votes one way or the other like I said I just want the voters to have all the information.

I have a question for anyone that can answer - one of the persons running against Sherif Garrison in the last election is now endorsing him. In an endorsement letter from her, she stated that Mr Waters told her the reason he wanted to be Sheriff here was so he could retire from Cherokee County. I know that the county employees here have a good retirement plan if they are vested. How long would it take a new Sheriff to be included and is Cherokee County that far ahead of Forsyth in the amount of monies received upon retirement for someone to want to leave the county they are employed in to go to work in another county?

David Waters plans to retire from Cherokee County, meaning he doesn't plan on being a "one term sheriff". The county employee's retirement used to be awesome, until the economy took a turn. Now, you have to be with the county for 5 years to be vested, and you have to have so many points before you can retire (I believe 70?). Also, Cherokee County employees can contribute up to 6% into their retirement annually and the county matches none, where they used to match 6% before the economy.
In regards to the Sheriff, he will also receive retirement from the Georgia Sheriff's Association once he's served at least 8 years and is age 55 or older. Roger Garrison has said he will not run again after this year, which makes sense because he will be eligible for his Georgia Sheriffs Association retirement. To me, I don't want a sheriff who only wants to be here because he HAS to be. I want a sheriff who wants to be here. But I do agree with Polite Deputy. I think each person should look at the facts and choose a sheriff based on facts.

Also JustTheFaxMaam- Please remember some employees of Cherokee have several retirements from other municipalities, military, etc. David Waters is not wanting to be our Sheriff because of money. It's a passion and a dream of his since he started his law enforcement career at age 20. David didn't see a reason to run for Sheriff 10-15 years ago, because the county was being cared for. Now, times have changed. If you have any questions for David about why he's running for Sheriff, he'll always reply to email or answer a phone call. His numbers and email are on his website, http://www.davidwatersforsheriff.com/.

“Concerned For Cherokee” when will you close you mouth and listen? Several people on this blog and other blogs have been answering your questions and you keep trying to twist matters and miss guide voters, you are a “broken record” for Desperate David. The other day you wanted Sheriff Garrison to address the issues, he did. Now you want to take an election and turn it into a racial matter with the people that work at the sheriff’s office. Please leave those good people alone and keep focused on the issues. I believe “Kary Sky 2” and “Polite Deputy” have addressed your concerns quite well and once again answered your questions. If you live in this county you got a mailer from Sheriff Garrison this Saturday. It was very well done and answered the questions you had concerning the issues and nothing negative about David, very professional.

Concerned, You answered you own question about why the Sheriff has not just appointed someone base on their color to command. He wants to make sure that the people in command are the best possible no matter color. That is why he is allowing them to work their way up the ranks. Most of the upper command has done it this way and it has worked out very well for us as an agency.

To the best of my knowledge there is only have 1 black Sargent with over 10 year in the profession. Besides from that one person all the others who are of color have less then or right at 10 years. Once again the last thing we need is for someone to be place in charge of peoples safety and lives only because they are of one race or another. By placing someone in charge who is not ready, no matter what color they are, can get good people hurt. Plus as Deputies we have more respect for those that we know earned their positions with the Sheriff’s Department over those that just walk in. As someone in the field I can tell you that I have never heard one of my coworker ever suggest that racism plays into who is or isn’t in the command staff.

:26 pm on Sunday, July 8, 2012

LOL if it is not all about the money David needs to tell people he will do it for free. He would be elected in a heartbeat..........I was simply curious as to why David would want to leave Forsyth as I am sure he would have a good retirement from there and would have to start over here. I cannot fault Sheriff Garrison for wanting to stay another term in order to draw a better retirement. He by no means is not the only person that stays with a job simpy for that matter alone. With todays economy most people would be crazy to give up any extra income they could get IMO. Thanks for the info. Oh one other question, I have noticed on here that several posters from other than Cherokee are backing Mr. Waters - what gives with that? Supposedly the picture of Sheriff Garrison was realeased by someone from Pickens county. Do these people not realize that they might be hurting him more than they are helping him by doing this? IMO they should worry about their own front yard and not worry about what happens here anyways. Just an idea you might want to put forth to him

My vote is for Roger Garrison! I am tired of all the mud slinging!

I have a question about the candidate David Waters. I have been reading several legal documents from a trial in Forsyth county - Danny Bennett and Danny Reid v Dennis Hendrix and David Waters. Mr Bennett and Mr. Reid were awarded 7 million dollars because they showed Deputy Waters initimidated them, requested warrants without probable cause, made unjustified traffic stops and used government databases to access information about them. The documents show the only defense was a request for qualified immunity( that it was part of the job). Is anyone familiar with the case? Was there a better defense than my boss said to do it? You can search those names and several legal documents come up. It is apparently a commonly cited case for the violation of citizens rights.

Patience- please show me where David was ever found guilty. Everything i found said David was found not guilty and granted immunity.

http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/423/1247/489931/

"Thus, the only issue before us is the entitlement of Hendrix, Singletary, and Waters to qualified immunity"

Hi. Does anyone on this board have a legal background and could explain the case Mr. Waters was involved in? Below is a link given by Concerned for Cherokee.

http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/423/1247/489931/

Can anyone tell me in non-legal terms what I should know about a candidate before I vote based on what happened in this trial. Is it relevant? I hear lots of people talking about it.

Thank You

Concerned for Cherokee, I hope I did not say anything about being guilty. I am only referring to a civil case in which Danny Bennett and Danny Reid documented harassment against their 1st amendment rights. I am wondering if anyone has heard a justification for this from the candidate because I do not think an officer should participate in this behavior as part of their job. Even in the link you gave me, I see that the request for immunity was denied and upheld. But maybe I am reading it wrong.

http://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/unpub/ops/200712314.pdf

Common Sense. Thank you for the explanation. There is so much information available now, sometimes it is overwhelming.

Here are a few more tidbits on David Waters defends record. On January 18th in the Ledger News, Mr. Waters said the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office served a population of 157,596 people with a budget of 28.6 million, which represented a cost of $167 per citizen. Then he said Forsyth Sheriff’s Office served a population of 170,000 on a budget of 22.6 million for a per citizen cost of $133. First of all, Cherokee has more than 214,346 residents. David Waters purposely omitted the people who live in the cities of Cherokee County. He then used the entire Cherokee Sheriff’s Office budget while he only used a portion of the Forsyth budget. The total budget for Forsyth last year was $30.6 million and the true population of Forsyth County is 175,511 including the residents of Cumming. The true cost per citizen to operate the Sheriff’s Office in Forsyth County is $175 verses the true cost per citizen to operate the Sheriff’s Office in Cherokee County is $125.

In reality, it costs $50 more per citizen to operate the Forsyth Sheriff’s Office than it does the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office. When David Waters was asked by the Ledger News reporter about the conflicting numbers, his only answer was “well, those were the numbers I was given.” This is printed in the Ledger News. David Waters purposely manipulated the numbers and lied to the citizens of Cherokee County to make Sheriff Garrison and his administration appear as though they were wasting tax dollars. These are facts people, I ask you do you want a person like David Waters as your Sheriff?

Richie, do you know what the outcome was for the link you gave me? was a judgement awarded?

So would these cases be considerd a wash if they were brought into the race for Sheriff? Both men were deputies and as it appears both cases were settled in favor of the plaintiffs. Thoughts please..........

Rico, since you have read it, what exactly was the settlement regarding then Deputy Garrison and the then Sheriff Ballard? Also was this the only lawsuit brought against Roger Garrison? Someone on Mr. Waters page had stated there was a lawsuit against Sheriff Roger Garrison and they would be providing more info on it and I am wondering if this one is it since there has been no other communication regarding that issue. I'll bet this is the one they were referring to and then found out that it was a different Sheriif in town.

Do you know how these other two were settled and who they were filed by?

Well Common Senseless since you enjoy reading and reposting my comments so much why don't you repost all of them (again) so everybody can read them again. Even I am getting tired of seeing my own posts over and over.

The flyer I received today from David Waters was infuriating because it was filled with such lies. Details were left out that the lawsuit filed against Garrison was actually filed against then Sheriff Bo Ballard while Garrison was in his 20's. The "sexual harassment" claim was by female deputies who were asked to quit sleeping with their male co-workers and didn't think they should. They were then offended by jokes in the early 1980's (when sexual harassment was making the news.)
There was no comparison of the lawsuit against Mr. Waters and Sheriff Hendrix while Mr. Waters was in his late 40's. There was no mention of his taking down tag numbers of people who disagree with him and harassing them using his capacity in law enforcement. There was no mention the defendents in Forsyth county were awarded 3.5 million dollars each by a jury.There is no mention that Mr. Waters is a commanding officer responsible for DUI management in Forsyth County while he profits from a DUI school as the direct owner.There was no mention the FOP endorsed Mr Waters under the false assumption he has any higher education. There was also no mention that the Cobb County endorsement was only given in default because Garrison did not attend their lodge meeting.

I think it easy to tell which candidate is taking the high road - even if he pointed out Mr Waters has been divorced 5 times.

You know I come here to see if anybody can tell me why a sitting Sheriff won't show up for a debate with his opponent and all I see is squabling about the church remarks or who's ad was worse. Does anybody else get it that not making yourself accessible to the voters is a great big negative?

Mr. Harris and Rico,

The mother of Sheriff Roger Garrison's personal secretary passed away and Sheriff Garrison felt it more important to support her by attending visitation rather than attend a political event which charged voters an entrance fee. Yet another example of the Sheriff putting his employees above his personal gain.

Does that give you the answer you seek?

Rico, Your above statement about Sheriff Garrison being afraid to show up and the other comments you have made on here lead me to believe that you know Sheriff Garrison very well. Please do us all a favor and call him on his cell phone and ask him where he was or did he just flat out tell you already that was the reason for the no show. When you talk to him ask him about the others that did not show up either and see what their reasons were as well.

Okay I saw the dabate. Garrison did seem angry and came out after Mr. Waters. But why did He slam the Forsyth Sheriff's Dept.? The race is between him and his opponent. Anyway they didn't allow enough questions from the audience and they didn't talk enough about budget waste. Also at last night's debate the moderator was waiting on Garrison to show and she didn't say he called and he didn't send somebody to speak for him. Couldn't he send somebody to speak on his behalf in a department that big? Other candidates did.

One of the sentences in the Waters flyer stated Cherokee has a 16% burglary solve rate. I can see that is 12% above the national average -4%, but I can not find the same statistic for Forsyth County. In the 2010 Forsyth report, they indicate 516 Burglary Reports and 89 CID Arrests (17%) but it looks like there can be multiple arrests for the same crime if you account they had 2 homicides and 3 arrests.
http://www.forsythsheriff.org/AnnualReports/2010_Annual_Report.pdf.
Does anyone know where to find case solve rates for Forsyth and to verify the Cherokee rate?

Concerned, I can sit her and make up excuses all day - just as you can sit and make assumptions all day for how SHeriff Garrison chooses to use his time. That gets us no where so lets stick with the issues here. In comparing the job records of both men and the educationnal levels of both men, it is plain to see who is the better man for the job. Leave out all the "dirt" and dirty politics please and lets see some real reasons. Thanks!

JustTheFax- Why is Roger supporters can sit here all day and bash David's marital record and his job title and his education yet when Roger is bashed for his lack of care for his deputies and citizens, Roger supporters come back with the "let's stick to the issues" answer? Yes, lets take a moment and look at these levels. When Roger was elected, he had 10 years experience (since he's been sheriff for 20 years and his website says he has 30 years law enforcement experience). When Roger was elected sheriff, he didn't have all the degrees he currently has- those were paid for by you and me. Roger got where he was and he gave us some great years in the past, but it's time for a new Cherokee. Whether you choose to look at the facts or ignore them, Roger has turned into a politician with no care or concern about the citizens or the deputies. He doesn't show up for his deputies when he's needed (Ex: Christmas Shooting). He doesn't keep commitments or even care enough to provide reasoning (Ex: 2 nights ago). He doesn't go to the precincts to support his troops (this can be verified by asking any officer). Roger stood up in front of a room of 100+ people at the debate and said he didn't believe in a citizen right to support who they wanted to vote for because he would fire them if he found out they were supporting an incumbents opponent. Darn- only 99 characters left. I could go on......

Sheriff Garrison has proven his committment to education by earning his degrees over time. Reinhardt College and Columbus State should be applauded for working with law enforcement agencies to advance the education of deputies. And yes, that is plural. The Sheriff is not the only one in the department to take advantage of education. The FOP endorsement states "higher education" is a must in law enforcement. How do you compare this to a 50+ year old man who may or may not have completed an associate's degree only after deciding to run for Sheriff? How much value will be placed on education in the future? And the taxpayer burden is somewhat unclear. The taxpayers pay for POST classes, the Southern Police Institute and I believe a stipend is paid to SPI students while they are not actively working. (I apologize if I am mistaken and Mr. Waters repaid Forsyth County for those classes).

I am glad I could pay for his education. We should educate every law enforcement officer, every fire fighter, teacher and our military for what they do.

Concern,
The reasoning behind looking at the Forsyth County crime numbers is simply that if Mr. Waters chose to mail thousands of letters to voters stating that he can improve the rate of burglary cases solved in Cherokee County, even though it is currently higher than the national average, he should be able to back it up with his experience and authority in this area. It is an incredibly irresponsible statement made solely for the purpose of misleading voters.

And I do agree, the dog catcher is not responsible for the entire crime rate in any county and most likely does not participate in most areas of crime prevention or resolution.

Okay, I thought Garrison was a Game Warden. So what's the point again?

Richie this Dog Catcher vs. Game Waden topic has been has been fodder for a while. David Waters worked for the DA's office as an investigator for a couple of years. That means you follow up on the original investigators work to see if anything was missed before the case is either prosecuted or taken to a grand jury. David has ample experience to this end. It is also not unusual for officers to move in and out of various positions over the years. Sometimes seasoned investigators become patrol oficers again. Yada yada.

I think that the point is, if they have an officer like Mr Waters who has extensive experience in investigation, why are they not using him in a role expanded beyond animal control and alcohol licensing. Personally I think punishing people for animal abuse is an extremely important job. How long ago did he work for the DA? I can not find an actual resume for him but from what I piece together, it was close to 25 years ago and for a brief time.

If an officer was an investigator with a rank of sergeant and a lieutenant position in the uniform division came open should he/she apply for it in order to advance in rank and make more money? Also the burnout factor is large with investigators due to the stress and hours. It is not family friendly and takes a toll on relationships.

Rico, Still telling lies to push your own agenda, I see. Since Rico will never answer your questions honestly. Sunshine here are some facts about Sheriff Garrison abd David Waters’ work history that you ask for, in addition, I am including examples of some of David Waters supports.

Sheriff Garrison worked with Cherokee County Sheriff Office for a number of years, left in good standings to better himself and went to work for Georgia Department of Natural Resources. In 1992, he left the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in good standings to run for sheriff and won. Roger Garrison has been the Sheriff of Cherokee County for the past 20 years and is still backed by all of his former employers.

Con’t
David Waters worked for Cherokee County Sheriff Office for several years. He left on bad terms with his sheriff, Bo Ballard and went to work for the District Attorney’s Office in Cherokee County for a brief period. David quit the District Attorney’s Office on bad terms because Mr. Moss hired David’s x-boss, Bo Ballard. David then went to work at Forsyth County Sheriff Office, where he make rank to Major but due to problems he was busted down to Captain. He was busted again; David Waters now holds the rank of Lieutenant and oversees what he seems to be ashamed of, Animal Control, Alcohol Sales and Local Ordinances. The current Forsyth County Administration backs David Waters for his bid to become Sheriff of Cherokee County, why you ask? The current Sheriff in Forsyth County is running for office this year and has opposition. From what I hear Sheriff Hendrix is in trouble politically. He and his current staff may just need jobs after the election, (New David Waters command staff in Cherokee County?)

Sheriff Garrison’s cases were all dismissed except for one, Plaintiff Inmate vs. Don Ware (public Record). This case was settled out of court for a reported amount of 75,000 dollars due to the mistreatment of an inmate by Don Ware. Those of you who know Don Ware also know what a big supporter of David Waters he is (Proof, see Don Ware face book page). Don was fired from Cherokee County for what he did. Another big supporter of Mr. Waters is Ronnie C. (see David Water web page for “Ronnie C. endorsement letter”, Ronnie C. was also terminated by Cherokee County for cause and has been charged with violation of the Georgia law in our county in the past, (public record Superior Court Clerks Office).

These are the kind of people who are spreading lies about Sheriff Garrison and his current administration. Please look at the facts of both men and asked yourself who would you like to be the head law enforcement officer in Cherokee County. The answer is easy for me and thousand’s others, Sheriff Roger Garrison.