august 4 primary election voter guide
OAKLAND COUNTY SHERIFF/DEMOCRATS VINCENT GREGORY
battle between life and death and the governor's orders are in place to protect and save lives. OAKLAND JAIL CONDITIONS
Gregory lives in Lathrup Village and has a degree in criminal justice from Madonna University. He has been a member of the Wayne County Sheriff Department, Oakland County Commissioner, State Representative and State Senator. ENFORCING GOVERNOR'S ORDERS During the current pandemic crisis, there are a half dozen county sheriff's in the state who have announced they would not be enforcing the governor's executive orders relative to stay-at-home, social distancing, and business closures. Despite the fact that the oath of office for sheriff includes a promise to uphold the Michigan Constitution, several of these sheriffs have stated that they don't feel they answer to the governor and therefore would not be enforcing her executive orders, which have been upheld by the state attorney general and now the courts. As sheriff, would you enforce executive orders from the governor? Yes, as the Oakland County Sheriff, I would enforce executive orders from the governor relating to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The sheriffs who have declared that they won't comply with the governor's executive orders have a duty to respect and obey the law; they do not have the luxury to select the laws that they will enforce versus those that they choose to ignore. The sheriffs who have publicly declared that they will not enforce the governor’s executive orders have in essence given the citizens in their counties permission to defy the governor's orders as well. This is not the message that the top law enforcement officer in the county should send to citizens, especially when we are literally in the middle of a 10B
A lawsuit on behalf of prisoners was filed in federal court, claiming that the sheriff has not adequately provided COVID-19 safeguards for prisoners. The federal judge has basically agreed with the plaintiffs and has called for changes plus a list of prisoners and their criminal history for possible release during the coronavirus crisis. Are you familiar with Oakland County Jail conditions and should more have been done in terms of prisoner protection from possible virus infection? Should there have been a more aggressive program of releasing prisoners to avoid spreading the virus? I learned about the lawsuit through researching and reading various reports. During my career as a deputy, I witnessed the efforts of attorneys on behalf of their clients who were inmates and grieved the conditions of the jail. During that time, I know for a fact that the attorneys worked diligently to secure remedies on behalf of their clients and filing lawsuits was generally a last resort resolution when they failed to reach an acceptable solution. The status of the court case against the Oakland County Jail and the restraining order that was implemented serves as evidence that the current Oakland County Sheriff failed to respond to the concerns of the inmates in a manner that would ensure that inmates were protected from the spread of Covid-19. PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT Oakland County is getting a small taste of the progressive prosecutor movement in the August primary for prosecutor, which nationally includes diversion sentencing programs rather than jail time for some crimes, lessened bail amounts or no bail amounts rather than jail time until trial, and other changes to the current system. Some say this movement will ultimately change the culture of law enforcement, moving away from hard-handed enforcement. Do you think this will impact the law enforcement part of the criminal justice equation? Is this good or bad? The job of the Sheriff is to protect and serve the public. Progressive prosecutors, who push for more diversion programs upon sentencing, decreases in bail amounts or no bail at all, instead of the accused being confined in jail until the time of their
trial, are on the path to impacting law enforcement in a positive way and one that ensures that all citizens who are accused of committing crimes receive treatment that is fair and equitable. As a country, we are moving away from hard-handed law enforcement and law enforcement professionals must adapt to and embrace these changes in order to be recognized as an ally to communities that we serve.
streamlining the absentee voting process for overseas service members; and as a State Senator, being a part of a subcommittee for expanding Medicaid to 600,000 more Michigan residents. I have a history of getting things done.
BARNETT JONES
WHY YOU ARE RUNNING You must think improvements are needed in the county sheriff's office or you would not be seeking office. What failings to do you see with the incumbent county sheriff and what specifically needs to change? I’m running for Oakland County Sheriff because I am an experienced leader and I have always lead with integrity, accountability in a manner that reflects inclusivity and respect for all of the citizens that I have served. As a U.S. Marine, Vietnam Veteran, former County Commissioner, former State Representative, former State Senator, and career law enforcement officer, I’ve been elected to and held leadership positions that afforded me public trust for decades and I am running so that I can use my leadership skills to continue to serve the citizens of Oakland County. I am running for Oakland County Sheriff because there are some areas that have not been addressed during the tenure of our current sheriff and I will ensure that these changes are implemented. These changes include deputies being a visible presence throughout Oakland County and encouraging the advancement of qualified women and minorities so that our leadership reflects the communities that we serve. WHY VOTE FOR YOU Tell us why voters should select you rather than one of your opponents? Voters should elect me as the next Oakland County Sheriff because I have a history of leadership experience that has placed me at the table in a position to negotiate and bring about change on the state and county level as an elected official and within law enforcement as the leader of the sheriff's deputy union. A few of my accomplishments include: Lobbying and securing funding for secondary roads so that the sheriff’s departments across the state could increase their support of the local police departments; as a county commissioner I was instrumental in keeping Catalpa Oaks a green space instead of becoming another area of condos; as a State Representative,
VOTER GUIDE/DOWNTOWN
Jones resides in Lake Orion and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Madonna University, Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan. He has served as the chief of police in two municipalities and was a member of the Oakland Sheriff Department, and Rochester Hills councilman from 1991-1993. ENFORCING GOVERNOR'S ORDERS The one thing I can tell you about the decision made in Oakland County is it had nothing to do with upholding the law, and everything to do with upholding party politics. Yes, as a sworn law enforcement officer, I feel I am duty-bound to uphold the law. There have been several times throughout my career that my personal opinion has clashed with my professional responsibility. However, I swore an oath to serve and uphold the laws of the land, regardless of my personal opinions. OAKLAND JAIL CONDITIONS I started getting personal phone calls and texts more than two-weeks before the lawsuit was filed on behalf of the prisoners; deputies working in the jail asking for my help. Yes. I'd say there should have been a much more aggressive plan on how to handle this. It's a blatant example of bad leadership and lack of vision. If you go back and read the initial reports you'll see almost nothing is said about the deputies and civilians working at the jail, and can you remember hearing anything from the sitting sheriff? No. AUGUST 2020 PRIMARY
