The Fresno Bee, Calif., Bill McEwen Column: Should Dyer Be the Super ChiefSheriff?

By Bill McEwen, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

Mar. 5–Fresno’s Top Cop is contemplating — voters willing — a position of his own creation: Super Chief Sheriff, commander of all troops, tan and blue. It’s a whopper of an idea, even in a city with a mayor who wakes up every morning wondering how he can rejigger government, education and the conference affiliation of your Fresno State Bulldogs. Analyzing this kind of proposal is best done in small bites because there are many considerations — political, practical and philosophical. The political reality is that Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer is popular and has more name recognition than any of the five announced candidates vying to succeed retiring Fresno County Sheriff Richard Pierce. A recent poll of Fresno County voters about issues such as water scarcity and Indian gaming also compiled political approval ratings. “Jerry Dyer was very popular in that poll,” county Supervisor Bob Waterston said. “A lot of people respect him, and he has name ID all over the county.” That said, there’s a big difference between getting appointed police chief and subjecting yourself to the scrutiny and cutthroat tactics of an election. Five years ago, Dyer had the police chief’s job so wired he was the lone candidate for the job — even though his early career included two Internal Affairs investigations into allegations he had illegal sex with a 16-year-old girl. Dyer wasn’t charged, and he quickly rose through the department after embracing Christianity. Years later, at a news conference following his appointment as police chief, Dyer said he would neither confirm nor deny that he had sex with the girl. That controversy has faded, but if Dyer runs, it starts all over again. In politics, unlike in church, nothing is ever forgiven. Already, sheriff’s candidate Calvin Minor, a retired Highway Patrol captain, has said he will emphasize his own character, ethics, lifestyle and job performance in the race. The philosophical and the practical come wrapped in the same blanket. Dyer says he is interested in being police chief and sheriff because he’d be positioned to improve law enforcement by consolidating operations and cutting duplicated services. Consolidation is the right move. But Dyer’s idea to be Super Chief Sheriff isn’t the right way to accomplish it. Say Dyer gets legal approval to hold both jobs and becomes sheriff. He organizes, trims and merges the departments the way he wants them. Then he loses a race or retires and the next sheriff says, “Guess what? We need a new way of doing things.” The way for Fresno County to get the best bang for its bucks is for voters to approve a merger of city and county governments. That way, everything’s tidy, legal and not subject to a particular politician’s popularity, or whims. Say this for Dyer: He’s ambitious. And he’s moved consolidation from the back burner of public debate to the tip of everyone’s tongue. But if he wants to be sheriff, he must be willing to give up his day job. As the apostle Matthew wrote, “No one can serve two masters.” The columnist can be reached at bmcewen@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6632. Check out his blog at fresnobeehive.com. Advertisements Top jobs INJECTION Molding Spvsr, Madera based ir… Occupational Therapist Special Education… PRESCHOOL Cook & Teachers positions. 12 … ALTERNATIVE ED. TEACHER, SOCIAL SCIENCE … VETERINARY TECHNICIAN Are you an RVT or … Retail-Full Time Service Rep Fresno Area… MACHINIST ($ DOE) Currently recruiting f… H.O.P.E. ANIMAL FOUNDATION A non-profit … ADMIN. ASST. — F/T for Indian Health Cli… SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST The Kings County Off… HR Specialist Pelco, global leader in vi… DATA ENTRY Field Work 20 People Needed I… MAINTENANCE Zacky Farms in the Fresno ar… SERVICE ADVISOR Heavy duty truck knowled… AC/HEATING AAA Air & Heating, Min. 5yrs … Paramount Fruit Processing, the largest … WAREHOUSE/DELIVERY DRIVER, entry level, … CUSTOMER SERVICE REP — Full time, benefi… WAREHOUSE ASSOC. Copier dealer seeks war… WRITER TOPICAL PRODUCERS/ COORDINATOR Wr… San Joaquin Valley College

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