
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, August 5, 1995                   TAG: 9508080012
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FOUR 'NO' VOTES FOR POSSE

Here's what the other candidates for Bedford County sheriff had to say about Mike Brown's proposal to set up a posse, or "Citizens On Patrol":

Dave Cooper: "I'll go with an auxiliary police force instead of a posse because ... a man out here in his personal car will bring on too many lawsuits that the county can't afford."

Cooper said his auxiliary police force would consist of trained men and retired police officers who would ride with seasoned deputies.

Doug Maynard: "I'm against the posse. I think it is nothing but a liability. Sooner or later, a gung-ho member of the posse is going to hurt someone or get hurt themselves and that's going to be a big liability.

"We're better off with the Neighborhood Watch system and the division of the county into patrol districts for deputies. Better police investigation is the answer. So is more education for police officers and more forensic science training.

"I don't want no part of any posse."

Chuck Reid: "What worries me is ... somebody's going to get themselves into something they can't get themselves out of ... and a deputy may not be able to get there to help.

"I can agree with getting the public involved because we're so short-handed ... [but] let the sheriff go out and have community meetings to analyze what can be done."

Darryl Updike: "I'm real concerned about the liability, the safety of the citizens. Should someone get hurt, who's civilly liable for the [posse members] or the person they're pursuing?

"I am strongly in support of Neighborhood Watch programs. I feel that we can only decrease crime through the help of citizens. We need them to be our eyes and ears. But we need to be the arms and legs."

by CNB