Today on the Chris Plante show I was pleasently surprised to hear a call-in from our bulldog supervisor, Eugene DelGaudio. The shows’ segment was about illegal immigrants and the recent rash of murders in Maryland-specifically Montgomery County. It seems that the “Sanctuary City” is starting to come under fire for the dismissive attitude of the city fathers. I’m sure that Casa de Maryland is very proud of Montgomery being a model city and all. What Eugene had to say was this-he has been trying to get the BOS of Loudoun County to understand that illegal immigrants are definitely an issue and to take a stance on the problem. What our board has done is virtually nothing. Well, let me be fair. What our board has done is to continually STUDY the issue. If the sun is out and you look up in the sky, you will see that the sky is blue. It doesn’t get anymore obvious than that. We have been studying this problem forever but to no avail. It is not an issue as seen by what happened to the last group of candidates campaigning on this stance-illegal aliens are criminals.
The statistics are out and can be found everywhere on the internet about crimes by illegals, prison population of illegals, glut on social services by illegals, home loans and foreclosures by illegals. There are those people that just cannot comprehend how our economic woes can be tied to illegal immigration. These people work for less but when the jobs dry up and work can’t be obtained there are those that turn to criminal behavior to make their gains. And then there are those that just make their gains on criminal behavior.
This is where we are heading. After the wonderful progress by Prince William County and the Town of Herndon, it just doesn’t seem to be enough. The liberals are winning and the citizens of the U.S., Virginia and our illustrious Loudoun County are losing big-time! A sheriff’s office in Sterling is nice but I consider this to be more reactive than proactive. It just means that they will be able to respond to the crime scene quicker….as in after-the-fact. While your taxes continue to go up to offset the drain on county services and the influx of more students to our schools, people will just sit back and complain that we need more business to offset the homeowner taxes. No one really wants to look at or address the real issue at hand-except for one Eugene DelGaudio. I am thankful for at least that much.
BTW: I wonder if Chairman York ever got around to the suggestion of getting statistics and methods from our neighbors in Prince William County as he said he would? I guess he must be “studying” it.
ACTivist, the new Sheriff’s substation in Sterling Park will be more than simply reactive after the fact. A critical benefit will be an increase in the actual street patrol time by both the road deputies and the Community Policing officers operating out of that substation.
At the current time, every last arrest made in the Park, whether for a violent crime or just for drunk and disorderly, is followed by a jaunt by the deputy and his detainee down Route 7 to Leesburg to go through the booking process. Moreover, almost every roll call by every road deputy now happens in Leesburg. Having roll call in the substation and having the availability of an electronic connection to a magistrate in Leesburg for lesser crimes will allow the deputies to increase actual street time. More frequent patrols serve to put potential malefactors on notice and do cut crime. An increase in patrol time, accompanied by an increase in the Neighborhood Watch program, will, in my opinion, be a big step forward for us in the Park.
As I recall, Chairman York, as part of the previous BOS and the current one, voted in favor of a measure to go after those employers of illegal aliens who have official business with the county. The same current “Gang of Five” who gave a thumbs down to the Redskins Hall of Fame put the kibosh on the illegal alien employer measure as virtually their first official BOS act. Our anger should be directed at Kurtz-Burke-Miller-McGimsey-Burton, four Dems and an independent. Susan Buckley, the Dem now representing Sugarland District, is a far different story. She has proven to be one smart politico who actually listens to her constitutents on these issues and acts accordingly.
I agree with Wolverine, we can’t blame Scott York for the mess. He certainly had a hand in getting the previous Board members defeated, but that was on the basis of issues other than illegal immigration. York has not given me any reason to think he would not support more enforcement at the local level.
Unfortunately, at this time Delgaudio is the only one we could depend on to drive the effort, although Buckley definitely has proven to be on the side of the legal residents. She is the most pleasant surprise of the current BOS, in my opinion.
With the exception of Supervisor Delgaudio this board has acted much like the previous, they are all very good punters. Several are so good they could play for the Redskins.
Why this board should be taken to task for their inaction is simple. This board has ample evidence from surrounding jurisdictions that local action works. The previous board did not have this information although many of us provided some pretty accurate predictions.
The real crime is this board is taking a wait and see how bad it gets before being forced to do something. Conditions on the ground in Sterling were far worse in 2008 that in years previous. We all know why.
It was July of 2007 when Prince William County under the leadership of Supervisors Stirrip and Chairman Stewart passed their very effective legislative package against illegal migrants.
It was then when those migrants starting making their way to other jurisdictions. Sterling Park became a choice location for this exodus of illegal alien migrants. This is one important factor as to why 2008 became one of the worst years Sterling Parks history.
Wolverine,
Your insight to the deputies is enlightening. I only hope that it works as you suggest. Otherwise it will only move the loiterers around the corner.
I will agree on the “5″ losers as being the major problem on the board. I will also submit that other than the employer issue (which, if memory serves me, is a federal requirement to check legality of an individual before hiring) York has sat on his hands and absolutely ignored the issue of illegal immigrants. He has had ample opportunity to address it in many ways but will not set the agenda. Ignoring it does not make it go away. Studying it does not make the citizenry feel better. And when the fat hits the fire, throwing up your hands and saying “I didn’t know” or “what could I have done” just ain’t gonna cut it. This board keeps looking to fix a problem without finding out the cause which means that the problem will not go away. That’s how I see it from my cheap seats.
ACTivist, I’m not so sure that York feels there is much of a chance at present to move the “Gang of Five” on the central illegals issue, probably even less with the possibility of a Federal amnesty around the corner. You have some very stubborn people in that group. He and the other three supervisors appear, however, to have convinced the “five” to go along on at least some of the ancillary law enforcement and quality of life issues in an effort to mollify the angry citizens and legal immigrants in the Park. Even that is a long and difficult process.
York may feel that this is the best he can get for the moment and that pushing harder on the illegals issue might upset that applecart, especially in a time of county budgetary problems. He and the three have, indeed, managed to squeeze some budget dollars out of the BOS for the Sterling area law enforcement upgrade. I half expected the Sterling substation to go down in the budgetary crisis, but, so far, it has not. We should see the construction start soon, perhaps this week or next.
Now, you could claim legitimately that we are treating the symptoms instead of the central problem. However, sometimes you have to get what you want “by littles” — to quote Abe Lincoln, I believe. If we can get those “littles” to work, we might have a chance to avoid at least some of what is currently going on in Montgomery County with regard to violent illegal alien crime. Indeed, I am hoping that the “Gang of Five” is focusing on the news from across the river. This may help us in seeking more law enforcement upgrades and might even, in the end, result in a bit of needed convincing with regard to the illegal aliens issue itself.
As for the “loiterers” moving around the corner, ACTivist, you are right on when it comes to trying to clamp down with inadequate personnel and inadequate street patrol time. The whole idea of a quantum jump in street time is to arrive at a point in which the “loiterers” run smack dab into another cop when they turn that corner. Without that you’ve got nothing.
It’s a universal problem. I went through this agony for years with police squads of all kinds. There was always a battle between “street time” and everything else…enough to cause you to tear your hair out when the bad guys were able to take advantage of your own shorthandedness. Didn’t have the assistance of Neighborhood Watch either. In most places Neighborhood Watch means one thing: Watch your own ass and, when trouble erupts, run like Hell to some other part of the neighborhood to save that ass. And never, never be seen talking to law enforcement! Sad but a real fact of life.
Wolverine,
I appreciate what you are saying. Last tenure, all York was worried about was finding a way to get his powers back and his focus was ire towards the “other” gang of 5. Being fair, the last board totally missed the same opportunity because of the “legalities” involved.
We have got to stop the infantile mindset that “if we proceed on this venture, who will we piss-off or who will want to sue us?” The state of Virginia should have put it to the feds long ago-”take care of this problem or our state rights and sovereignty will!” And that is all that is necessary. We CAN enforce federal law if the feds won’t. We don’t need to house them in extravagant accommodations or feed them steak and they HAVE NO civil liberties if they are here illegally. All they need is humane behavior. What we truly need is a commonwealth attorny who knows the law. Staying within the laws’ peramiters will dismiss any lawsuit brought forward. If “compassion” (liberal ignorance) is kept out of the picture, the problem will not only cease but, in fact, reverse itself. Then all that is necessary is to secure the borders.
I don’t know if you are from this area but some time ago we had a sub-station behind the CVS and why it was moved was beyond me. If a satellite office is needed, with the empty buildings and commercial stores already existing it would be unnecessary to build another government building. The new Leesburg Sheriff’s Dept building isn’t very big. Pepe’s would be fitting and ideal in my estimation.
BTW. I don’t run from anyone. It’s head-to-head till someone’s dead when it comes down to it.
ACTivist, I believe that the little office behind CVS is still there. It wasn’t a “substation” by any means. As far as I can see, it was just a place for the deputies, mainly the Community Policing Officers, to take their breaks, do some paperwork, and keep up a bit of visibility in the shopping area. That’s about it.
Since the LCSO has instituted a system whereby the deputies can submit end-of-shift and other reports via the computers in their patrol cars, I suspect that the shopping mall office is used even less than before. Nor do I think the deputies hang around there and kibitz before or after their shifts. Many of the guys I know or know about live way out somewheres, like in West Virginia, and head home immediately after the shift is over and the reports are filed. I have passed that shopping mall office often over the past few years and always take a look. It’s rare to see a patrol car in the parking lot, especially at night. Never have I heard a recommendation to go there if you need help or have questions. The answer is always to call the LCSO Dispatch or, if you are working with a particular officer and know he is on duty, signal him on his Blackberry.
No Sireeee, we need a fully-functioning substation manned 24-7 and having permanently-assigned road patrol officers; the electronics to Leesburg; the temporary holding cells; a tough, no-nonsense desk sergeant; and a captain and lieutenant in charge so we have someone right on the spot with whom we can discuss community law enforcement problems nose to nose. And let me tell you, we have a darn good captain coming in Rick Frye. I want that guy here every day and not off in Leesburg or roaming elsewhere in this large county.
I already ran the idea of a temporary substation up the flagpole some time ago, including the possibility of using Pepe’s old place. I understand the idea was looked at by the LCSO. The word I got back was that the costs were too high for the current budget, including some astronomical rent figures for anything in that shopping mall and the high cost of installation on only a temporary basis. It looks to me like we are going to have to make do with what we’ve got until the substation is up and running.
Yeah, yeah, I know about that BOS fear of lawsuits bit. It seems to me that it is a favorite mantra of the “Gang of Five” or, at least, some of them anyway. Sometimes I think it is just a bluffing act because they are unwilling to state flat out their real reasons for being “anti” on a particular issue. On the other hand, their party is the one in bed with the trial lawyers, so maybe they know something I don’t.
“And let me tell you, we have a darn good captain coming in Rick Frye.”
You are correct, capt Frye is a top notch cop .