Are you fed up, too?

My apologies to "Fed up" for the delay in acknowledging your kind letter. Man! I've got to start going to my P.O. Box (1222, in 60098) more often. Your letter had to be in my box on Saturday, but I didn't pick it up until today.

You aren't the only writer to mention the list of deputies who were listed as passing the Sergeant's Exam on the roster posted February 16, 1994. Or the revised roster posted the next day with one additional name. (Who says people don't save things they disagree with?) Both pages showed up in my mail recently, but you provided some important additional information. Thanks!

Or the testimony by the Merit Commission that written tests were destroyed after being graded. Now why would they do that? How could any question about incorrect grading of a test be resolved, if a test had been destroyed? Has that practice changed? Are written tests now stored?

Gary Gauger is going to clean out the County treasury, and rightfully so. This will be a trial not to be missed. It's just too bad that the taxpayers will take the hit, when those responsible for "making" the case ought to be personally liable. Maybe they will be.

I knew a man in Colorado who was accused of raping a woman. When the deputies there drove her by the man's pick-up, she said it was not the truck driven by the rapist. When she was shown his photo, she said he wasn't the guy. But they figured they had the right person, and on they went to court. He got $1.1 Million from two sheriff's departments, two D.A.'s and one police department. And he didn't even get convicted. It turned out she was just looking to regain her husband's affection!

What is Gary Gauger's case worth? A LOT more. And money won't be the only pay-off. What the public must learn is just exactly how did the case get put together to finger Gary? There is probably a lot more than showed up in the courtroom where he was convicted. And that's what will boost the award.

I sympathize with the exasperation of so many honest, dedicated deputies in this county who are frustrated with a broken system. Keep doing your jobs with integrity. When you are told to do something that you believe is wrong, state your objection - and do it in writing. If you must follow orders and it's not going to injure or kill someone, follow them. Keep your jobs. The Department needs you.

But document it. Keep your own personal log, and keep it away from the office or your patrol car. Keep copies of your written complaints about operations.

Don't give up.