Mike MacFadzen: Law enforcement should never be politicized

To The Daily Sun,

My name is Mike MacFadzen, I am a Republican candidate for Belknap County Sheriff. This is the fourth in a series of informational letters to the voters.

Belknap County should have a sheriff that works with and supports other law enforcement agencies. I will reinstate the relationship with the U.S. Marshal’s Service by putting a deputy back on the fugitive task force. The removal of this assignment cost the county thousands of dollars, a cruiser and made returning fugitives back to Belknap County more difficult and was done for political purposes. Law enforcement should never be politicized.

I will also support the Belknap County drug task force and not force the local police departments to have to go it alone. We will work with State Police and attorney general task force teams. Drugs drive crime and with crime rates rising this issue needs to be addressed. Working together Belknap County agencies will develop a team that cannot be basically shut down because of one individual that wants to control everything.

Working together with all of the departments we will investigate criminal offenses and share information. This will allow agencies to share talent, resources, and equipment. This will bring more investigations to successful resolutions. Having a sheriff that supports other agencies makes many resources available, particularly to the smaller agencies who are often disqualified from resources due to department size. These resources are money, training, and equipment. This benefits all the residents by reducing local costs and providing better services.

These are just three examples of how working together we can better serve the community. This applies to technical accident investigation, the special operations group and other basic services. Working together as a team makes policing better and most importantly Belknap County safer.

Mike MacFadzen

Laconia