The Idaho Statesman questionnaire provides a format that may tell much of what people want to know about Ted Dunlap, candidate for Ada County Sheriff. Here are their questions and my answers:
Experience: 30+ years private sector supervision & management. Hewlett-Packard, The Gentleman Farmer, Soil Food
Education: Sonoma State University, Business Management, Hewlett-Packard, supervision & management, 20+ years self-employed, manager, supervisor, owner-operator
Campaign Questions
What will be your top three priorities if elected?
My top priority will be to Serve and Protect the life, liberty and property of the people of Ada County.
The Sheriff is the top law enforcement officer elected directly by the people, swears an oath to the Constitution and, if done right, focuses his department on protecting the people from all enemies foreign and domestic.
If elected, Sheriff Ted Dunlap will join 200 Constitutional Sheriffs in Idaho and across the USA in stopping illegal enforcement of unconstitutional laws.
There is no more important election in Ada County and no higher or more honorable calling of all elected offices.
What are the two biggest issues facing the Ada County Sheriff’s right now, and how would you address them?
There is a major consolidation of local, state and federal police agencies in the USofA. Federal agencies like the IRS, ATF, Homeland Security and many more are being heavily armed, armored and turned into a super-police agency. In a dramatic shift, the ban against domestic use of USA military forces has been eliminated.
The only real protection our Constitution has is the county sheriff in those counties that have a Constitutional Sheriff. This is far and away the most important issue facing not only the Ada County Sheriffs Office, but all of the people of Ada County.
Other issues are dramatically less significant, but the lack of responsibility with taxpayer money is certainly in need of redirection.
What did the sheriff’s office get right this year? What did it get wrong?
The sheriff’s office has a great staff of experienced and qualified people in all areas. A significant number of people have approached me with complaints against the department and deputies that most certainly warrant investigation. There should be a department of Internal Investigations much like that established in many other law enforcement agencies. The only complaints the Sheriff should receive are when Internal Investigations appears to failed in its mission.
We have to constantly remind ourselves that we are hired by the people to serve and protect, NOT to intimidate and control. The selection of $50,000-a-pop black Tahoes as the new patrol car is clearly excessively expensive and sends a bad message.
The sheriff’s office takes over management of the misdemeanor probation program this year. What changes will you make?
There are serious charges of abuse and corruption leveled against this program. I will assemble a small team with impeccable credentials to investigate and, if warranted, work to design a replacement that eliminates the possibility of abuse.
The people struggling to get their lives back on track do not need barriers to their success forced upon them.
At the very least, I will make sure there are limits to the number of tests these people have to pay for and choices of certified places they can get tested. This will eliminate much of the potential for graft and take away the opportunity for anyone to accuse the program of corruption.
What is the biggest public safety threat the county faces? How will you address it?
The demise of the rule of law is our most serious threat. The domestic use of military forces, the militarization of federal agencies and the creation of what are now called “Fusion Centers” where all federal, state and local agencies are combined into one centrally-controlled police force are terrible trends. While some agency executives are flattered to be part of something big and powerful, these super-agencies pose a serious threat to public safety.
The Constitution and Bill of Rights are simple and clear. The many Constitutional Sheriffs in this country are preserving public safety through their courageous enforcement of the law, that is the true law of the land. We clearly need to elect and support Sheriff Ted Dunlap to have that safety and security here.
What strengths and skills will you bring to the county?
I am honest, honorable and courageous. I have a lifetime of supervision and management experience in the private sector. I excel at empowering my employees and inspiring them to give their best to their jobs.
I have extensively studied Austrian Economics, political science and Constitutional law. I am well aware of the many threats coming our way in the very near future. I am uniquely qualified to harness the talent and responsibility of the Ada County Sheriff’s Office to minimize the negative impacts of these threats and provide the best security and liberty we can achieve.
How have your prepared to run for this office?
I have extensively studied economics and know my creative, frugal nature and experience will be very important over the next four years. While hoping for an economic recovery is nice, planning major expenditures on the ASSUMPTION of recovery is foolish. Plan for the worst; hope for the best.
I dedicated the last decade to Constitutional Law studies and know this country’s strong turn away from that poses a serious threat that must be answered by Constitutional Sheriffs. The rule of law is the only thing that separates us from rule of the powerful.
I am rebuilding the Ada County Posse on the model utilized by Modoc County, California. Their 50-year-old posse is an independently-operated tool utilized by the Sheriff’s Office to manage the safety and security of their county. Sheriffs come and go while the posse serves the community in perpetuity.
