THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 28, 1996 TAG: 9602280007
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
Regarding ``Norfolk sheriff says democrats targeting his office'' (MetroNews, Feb. 12): The people of Norfolk spoke loudly when they elected Robert McCabe sheriff, and thank God they did. Before Sheriff McCabe's tenure began, the Sheriff's Department was in turmoil. Mr. McCabe, as mandated by Norfolk's citizens, has done a superb job of reorganizing and reforming the entire Sheriff's Department.
The facility which Mr. McCabe oversees is a jail, not a health spa. The inmates are either awaiting trial or serving a sentence imposed on them. The purpose of a jail is first to protect the public from those who have chosen to disregard the law and place the rights and freedom of the community's citizens in jeopardy. Second, a jail is meant to punish those who will not respect the lives, liberty and property of others. All men and women have free will and the ability to choose right from wrong. Those who reside in the Norfolk jail have made their choice.
Finally, regarding the positions of the Democratic politicians who are opposing Mr. McCabe's decisions: If Del. William Robinson and Sen. Yvonne Miller are so concerned about the welfare of Norfolk's inmate population, why did they not speak out during the administration of Sheriff Mapp? It was then that our city's jail was in a state of chaos. And if Del. George Heilig would spend as much time and energy serving the people of his district as George Schaefer does as the administrator and legal adviser for our sheriff's office, Norfolk would benefit greatly.
The positions of Delegate Heilig, Delegate Robinson and Senator Miller, all Democratic politicians, clearly show that the issue is a political power play. By trying to discredit Sheriff McCabe, they feel they can score political points. It is their political futures, not the rights of Norfolk's criminals, that worry them. The citizens of Norfolk are not fooled by their tactics. We know that they helped create the mess, and we stand firmly behind Sheriff McCabe, the man who is now restoring order to the Norfolk Sheriff's Department.
V. O. MILLS
Norfolk, Feb. 17, 1996 by CNB