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VOL 6 No. 1
Sandersen Knox & Company, LLP 130 Industrial Blvd, Suite 130 Sugar Land, TX 77478 (281)242-3232 www.sktx.com; info@sktx.com Phone: 281-980-6745
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2013
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
‘Fleet management’ irks some elected county officials Girl Scout Cookie Program By SESHADRI KUMAR Fort Bend County Commissioners Court has created a Fleet Management Department for better utilization of the county’s fleet in a cost-efficient manner. But, some elected officials in law enforcement appear to be upset by the move because they see it as a threat to their “power” of procuring and using vehicles the way they want. During the 2013 budget hearings in 2012, Commissioner Andy Meyers proposed the fleet management department to have a better handle on all county vehicles and to ensure an efficient
fleet management, with standardization of vehicles and spare parts to the extent possible. To obtain an accurate count, the list maintained by the sheriff, the constables, the budget officer, the auditor, and the vehicle maintenance department have to be combined and cross-checked. Now, in the 2013 budget, the county has the list of all vehicles it owns, according to the budget director. After a Nov. 20 discussion, County Judge Bob Hebert appointed a committee to create the Fleet Management Department. Members are Marc Grant,
Chair, Commissioner Richard Morrison, Commissioner James Patterson and representatives from Budget, Purchasing, Sheriff’s, Constables’, Transportation, EMS and Drainage departments. The committee has been asked to report to the Commissioners Court recommendations on the responsibility, authority, and organization of the Fleet Management Department by Feb. 1, 2013. Patterson says the law enforcement officials are on board and the committee is in the process of deciding on the authority and nature of duties of the fleet manage-
ment head. At the last meeting, there was no consensus on the authority and to whom the fleet management department head should report to. The commissioners are not encroaching on the powers of any elected official, Patterson says. The court, as always, would approve the purchase after the head of the department justifies the need for the vehicle. To suggest that commissioners would micromanage a law enforcement office or dictate the type of vehicles they should buy is simply misleading and incorrect, according to Patterson.
The logic: Ban guns, no more shooting deaths; Install cameras, no more crime The city of Sugar Land in its “OnlineTown Hall” is soliciting public comments regarding the License Plate Recognition and video cameras to be installed all over the city. www.sugarlandtx.gov/onlinetownhall The city plans to instal 138 License Plate Recognition cameras and 70 video cameras along major thoroughfares at an estimated initial cost of $3 million. The question on the town hall reads thus: What are your thoughts and/or concerns regarding the implementation of the Crime Prevention Camera Program that can be considered during the creation of a policy to provide guidance for the use of the system? The public reaction so far is
almost evenly divided. Those who support the program do not have to do much explaining. They believe that cameras are good to catch criminals. Let us have it. The police department knows better. It is like banning guns, which means no shooting deaths. Writes one supporter: “I support the use of traffic cameras and monitors. Any tool we have that will either deter or solve a crime is worth trying. The more crime prevention the lower the crime rate. Let the bad guys know Sugar Land is not their playground and we don’t want them here. You get what you tolerate so lets not tolerate criminals. I don’t break the law so I have nothing to fear from the cameras. SLPD had a great reputation
Opinion: Inside Track By Seshadri Kumar of being proactive to crime, let them do what they are hired to do, keep scum out and arrest the stuff that leaks in.” The opponents, on the other hand, think hard and justify their opposition. The privacy issue is dominant, but who cares about the fine nuances of liberty, freedom, and individual rights. Cameras are everywhere. If
you have done nothing wrong, why are you afraid of the cameras, proponents of the cameras ask. LPR helps trace a stolen or “wanted” vehicle. A Video camera, on the other hand, helps identify the vehicle and its occupants. Both these can be useful, in solving a crime, after the crime occurred. Now, the police will have a multimillion dollar crime solving tool to solve a few crimes. One citizen has almost written a thesis on the subject : “I vote absolutely no for this project given the details, and my vote has nothing to do with Big Brother. In fact, I am all for cameras when used properly. “An un-monitored system that takes photos of only license plates is close to useless and a waste of taxpayer money and will do nothing to help prevent or deter crime. Nor will it be adequate or useful for evidence to support a case. There is no data or evidence that putting such a system in place will help solve even one crime. Plus the potential for abuse or other uses of the information are great. “First, how does an unmonitored system help prevent crime? It doesn’t. A crime already has to have occurred and been reported before the data captured by these cameras is even going to be viewed. The See CAMERA, Page 3
For more information about DAR, contact Molly Smith at smithmaze@aol.com. Above, past Regents of the chapter, Connie Stettbacher, left, Johnna Mueller, Phyllis Cannon, Ruth Ann Klawitter, Phyllis Mistrot, Georgia Roenigk, Molly The Fort Bend Chapter of the Smith (current regent), Bettye Anhaiser, Karen Robertson, Daughters of the American and Margie Camp. Revolution, celebrated its 65th Anniversary on Dec. 12 in Sugar Land. The chapter was formed on December 16, 10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Stafford, TX 77477 1947. The festivities included Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487 a program and luncheon with over 60 DAR members www.fbindependent.com Seshadri Kumar in attendance. Two state Publisher & Editor 281-980-6745 officers and one national officer were among those Fort Bend Independent, (USPS 025-572) is published every who attended. The Fort Bend Wednesday (for a subscription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Chapter meets every second Independent, LLC., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas Wednesday of the month 77477. Periodicals Postage Paid at Stafford, Texas. at the Sugar Land First POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, United Methodist Church. P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487.
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
kicks off January 5
Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council (GSSJC), the second largest Girl Scout Council in the U.S., will kick off the first Cookie Sale of the next century of Girl Scouting January 5. The largest girl-led program in the world teaches girls the skills essential to success and life, including goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics. Some say it’s just a cookie, but there’s more to Girl Scout Cookies than what’s in the box. When patrons purchase a box of Girl Scout cookies, they are sending a city kid to camp, paying for a fresh change of clothes for victims of a wildfire who lost everything or cheering up a soldier serving our country overseas. A Girl Scout cookie purchase helps girls do great things in their communities and encourages them to change the world! A new season brings with it a newly redesigned cookie package. For the first time in more than a dozen years, the Girl Scout cookie box gets a makeover. The updated box tells the Girl Scout story, describes the value of Girl Scouting and attempts to reconnect with its 59 million alumnae. In addition to the new packaging, patrons can sink their teeth into a brand new cookie. Mango Crémes are crunchy vanilla and coconut cookies with a mango-flavored crème filling and have all the nutrient benefits of eating cranberries, pomegranates, oranges, grapes and strawberries. It’s a cookie with major vitamins! Girl Scout Cookies are available in eight varieties: Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Shortbread, Thanks-A-Lot, Caramel deLites, Lemonades and Mango Crémes. All varieties of Girl Scout Cookies are zero trans fat per serving, and the price for a box of cookies is only $4. Beginning February 15, Girl Scout Cookies will be sold at
Mango Crémes are the newest Girl Scout cookie in the eight variety line-up. Girl Scouts will be coming to a front door near you beginning January 5, the kick-off of the 2013 Cookie Sale. The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girlled program in the world and teaches girls skills like goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics. cookie booths outside of grocery stores and other retail venues. The Cookie Sale ends March 23. When all of the cookies have been consumed, remember, the box is not empty. Each box sold helps to create thousands of happy memories and incredible achievements that the cookie program has made possible. Every box of Girl Scout Cookies resonates with promise and possibility. Your support of Girl Scouting through purchasing Girl Scout Cookies helps make that promise and those possibilities into realities for girls. Girl Scouts of the USA is the world’s preeminent organization for girls, with a membership of more than 3.7 million girls and adults. Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Chartered by GSUSA to provide Girl Scouting locally, Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council is one of the largest Girl Scout councils in the country serving more than 70,000 girl members and nearly 19,000 adults in 26 southeast Texas counties.