1. PASSION:  A successful leader must always remain passionate about their chosen profession. As a young Deputy Sheriff/Correctional Officer working under the late Upshur County Sheriff Fred Gaudet over 30 years ago, my passion for the law enforcement profession was profound.
Today, after returning to my hometown to now live and work, that intense passion for the job and the community remains strong. Yearning for the opportunity to carry forward this passion and zealously serve the people of Upshur County will permit me to deliver top-notch professional law enforcement services and make this county as safe as possible for everyone!

2. PREPARATION:  To serve as your next Sheriff, firm foundations have been established that has prepared me to in turn work skillfully for you: over twenty years of police experience, formal educational achievements that consist of three college degrees including a law degree, and professional criminal justice experiences working on a nationwide platform for over a decade. Documented research and a thorough review of police activities in Upshur County spanning more than a decade, has led to the development of a comprehensive plan, which will be implemented permitting the fine men and women of your sheriff's office to serve you even more efficiently in the future.

3. PERSUASION:  Truly successful modern-day law enforcement leaders possess deep conviction and a genuine credence in their chosen career. Unfortunately, today's law enforcement profession is increasingly becoming quite confrontational with many members of today's society. To quote George Bernard Shaw, "Men are not governed by justice, but by law or persuasion. When they refuse to be governed by law or persuasion, they have to be governed by force, or fraud, or both." Being effective at persuasion to acquire lawful compliance is an admirable trait that all sheriffs must strive to possess to avoid the law being applied with force to humanity.

4. PRIORITIES:  As a chief law enforcement officer, one must have the distinct ability at being able to maintain a strong self-image, but also to know when to rise above the ego and not become reluctant in asking for help. In order to keep proper priorities in line, a sheriff must always know when to check their ego at the door!

5. PRINCIPLES:  I fully understand and appreciate what it means for folks to have principles and live by a charitable nature. Throughout 2011, I have been on the receiving end of the charitable nature of so many Upshur County folks, many of whom were not personally known by me. First, being diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2011 was one of the most terrifying events of my life. The outpouring of genuine care/concern and the personal commitment of so many (including many co-workers at WV Wesleyan) to help me any way possible, was indeed quite humbling! However, thanks to prayer and the comprehensive treatment plan put in place by my team of doctors at the WVU Cancer Center, today, I excitedly and loudly proclaim I am a CANCER SURVIVOR!!

Second, there was the very unfortunate experience of our house being destroyed by fire on the morning of December 08, 2011. The outpouring of Upshur County hospitality was overwhelming after this event that devastated our family, especially during the Christmas Season. Again, so many people whom we did not even know provided money, clothes, gift cards and other goods to help us through this terrible time. Today, before you is a very humbled man simply because of the principles that guide the daily living of Upshur County citizens. As a direct result of the life's experiences of 2011, I fully and completely understand what it means to give back to the community more than you take in return. I aspire to live by these same charitable principles and will instill these principles in those men and women who serve you at the Upshur County Sheriff's Office.

6. PURPOSE:  Serving as an elected official, especially that as the chief law enforcement officer is one of the noblest forms of community service one can be afforded. Law enforcement is absolutely a great profession; one that the entire community cannot live without. Everyday that an elected official such as a sheriff reports to work to serve the people, one must respectfully realize they are fulfilling the purpose God has set forth for their life.

7. PURSUE:  Being the chief law enforcement officer of the county comes with an awesome accountability to everyone. All sheriffs have the responsibility to pursue justice for all, and that does include all, not just always the complaining party or those folks who have raised high from a certain socioeconomic strata of society. A sheriff must always be mindful of those who are less fortunate than many others and work just as diligently to pursue justice for them as well.

8. PRESERVE:  Being a chief law enforcement officer requires that all supporting staff to work relentlessly to preserve the Constitutional Rights of all, without favor or prejudice. A sheriff and their staff must always remember and fully comprehend that the United States Constitution is in place for the protection and benefit of and for the people.

9. PROMOTE:  Being a chief law enforcement officer comes with incredible duty. A sheriff must always promote a positive law enforcement image, a sheriff must permit their staff to promote individual excellence though educational opportunities, a sheriff must promote the full cooperation of all law enforcement entities in and throughout their jurisdiction, and a sheriff must promote the superior tradition of law enforcement and legal principles.

10. PROMISE:  Being the chief law enforcement officer of Upshur County does in fact come with promises, which must be made and kept! As your next Sheriff,

I promise to always serve the community with pride,
I promise to always maintain the honor and dignity of the law enforcement profession,
I promise to always uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity,
     and encourage and support my staff to do likewise, and
I promise to take care of and be supportive of all of my staff.

To do any of the aforementioned to the contrary would constitute a disservice to not only the office of the sheriff, but also the sheriff's office staff, and every citizen who calls Upshur County their home.

1. NEW DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF:  Replace the current chief deputy with a newly appointed deputy chief of staff. The new deputy chief of staff will possess exceptional law enforcement and professional senior-level command experience who will become responsible for the day-to-day administrative law enforcement operations of the Upshur County Sheriff's Office, under my supervision.

2. PARTICIPATORY STYLE OF MANAGEMENT:  Meet individually and frequently with every Upshur County deputy sheriff and other sheriff's office staff members to illicit their input as to what improvements they believe should be made in the daily operations of the sheriff's office and the delivery of services to the community. I am a firm believer in a participatory style of management.

3. ETHICAL STANDARDS OF CONDUCT:  Initiate an Ethical Standards of Conduct for all law enforcement deputy sheriffs. It will be required that all law enforcement deputies sign this document annually as a condition of continued employment.

Click HERE to view Sample!

4. CITIZEN SURVEY:  Initiate an Upshur County Sheriff's Office Citizen Survey. Send out 100 random 16-question 3-page surveys monthly throughout my term in office. As the chief law enforcement officer of Upshur County, it is important to have a stream of constant documented citizen feedback about how citizens feel regarding the services provided countywide by the sheriff's office. The new command staff will use this information for four and eight year strategic planning purposes.

Click HERE to view Sample!

5. SATISFACTION SURVEY:  Initiate an Upshur County Sheriff's Office Satisfaction Survey. Send this out directly from the sheriff's office within 15 days of a deputy taking a report from a complaining party. This will be a 10-question survey regarding the delivery of services to the complaining party. The new command staff will use this information for four and eight year strategic planning purposes.

Click HERE to view Sample!

6. COMMUNITY-POLICING CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE:  Initiate an Upshur County Sheriff's Office Community-Policing Citizens' Advisory Committee in cooperation with the Upshur County Commission. By resolution or ordinance, a committee will be created that will meet quarterly to discuss community issues of a public safety concern. This committee will be an advisory committee whose recommendations will be taken very seriously. This committee will represent a "pulse of the community".

Click HERE to view Sample!

7. REALIGNMENT OF DELIVERY OF SERVICES:  Begin the realignment of the traditional delivery of law enforcement services. It is acknowledged that the sheriff's office has a higher than national average clearance rate in 5 of the 8 categories of Index Crimes. It will be my desire that all deputies will work feverishly to increase the clearance rates in all categories so that we are higher than the national averages in all categories of Index Crimes that are reported for investigation. If a Part I Index Crime occurs anywhere in Upshur County, I want to ensure that every effort is utilized to successfully close that case and that offenders are held accountable.



The information presented above came from the 1998-2009 Return A Record Cards acquired via a Freedom of Information Act request from the FBI's Criminal Justice Information System for the Upshur County Sheriff's Office.

8. BALANCE OF DELIVERY OF SERVICES:  It is acknowledged that one way in keeping your highways safe and to minimize the incident rates of traffic crashes resulting in serious personal injury, permanent disfigurement, and even death, is with a very strict enforcement of the traffic laws. It is further acknowledged that Upshur deputies were ranked the 3rd. highest in the state of all sheriffs' offices in making traffic stops, 5th. highest in the state of all sheriffs' offices at issuing traffic citations, and the 2nd. highest county in the state of all sheriffs' offices at issuing warning citations. HOWEVER, there has to be a balance in the delivery in law enforcement services. Upshur deputies have to balance their time with the enforcement of traffic laws as well as spending quality time at conducting criminal investigations, working in crime prevention programs, and actively attending/participating in community events throughout the entire county.

9. STRICT SCRUTINY OF OVERTIME COMPENSATION:  The deputy chief of staff will assume the responsibility of ensuring that excessive overtime compensation for any Upshur County deputy sheriff, or any other sheriff's office employee does not occur in the future. Upon reviewing the Upshur County Sheriff's Office payroll W2s for 2010 & 2011, one specific Upshur deputy sheriff's gross compensation exceeded $81,500.00. Specifically noted for this same deputy sheriff, the deputy's authorized fiscal year 2011-2012 base rate of pay was $46,092.80. Excessive overtime raises several concerns including the safety of the deputy, an imbalance of work and rest resulting in "burn-out", and the implication that "pension spiking" is possibly being condoned by the administration, if a deputy sheriff is within 3 years of retirement.

10. DELIVERING LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES COMMENSURATE WITH COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS:  The deputy chief of staff and myself will meet formally and regularly with all other local elected officials, government leaders, other law enforcement entities serving Upshur County. This will also include the troopers and command staff of the Buckhannon detachment of the West Virginia State Police, and all other state law enforcement agencies working in Upshur County. As your elected sheriff, I must ensure the Upshur County Sheriff's Office is delivering law enforcement services commensurate with community expectations, and that all agencies are working in harmony for the ultimate benefit and satisfaction of the citizens of Upshur County. Paid