There are 40,000 ways that say no
Everyone wants to proclaim that they “Back the Blue,” but is it true?
For the last two months, Acting Marlboro County Sheriff Larry McNeil has asked the Marlboro County Council for assistance in keeping deputies on staff. He made a request in September for $40,000 to assist with salaries for deputies. Any deputy at the MCSO could work anywhere but they choose to work here.
And trust, it is a choice. MCSO is one of the lowest paying departments in the Pee Dee, McNeil said so at the last county council meeting. But he’s also said his deputies are proud to work in Marlboro County because this is home. Imagine having the ability to protect your family, friends, and the towns that you love. Wouldn’t you be proud? Wouldn’t you want to stay in your community protecting and serving?
But how can you do that when after your bills are paid, you can’t even take a family of four to McDonald’s for dinner?
$40,000 isn’t a lot of money when you’re looking at what the MCSO does.
But the budget is tight, at least that’s what the Council says.
And it is because Mohawk is gone and that revenue generated from the taxes is gone as well. But there’s funding for other things. We can make Marlboro County pretty, but are we going to make the county safe?
So many times, people scream back the blue, we support law enforcement, but where’s the check?
This year, the MCSO has come up with $1.4 million dollars to keep the county and the deputies safe. And this money didn’t come from the county budget. What happened to the savings? Why is it so hard to find $40,000 to cut down on overtime, to give the deputies the supplies they need, and to make sure the people who voted the council in are safe?
While McNeil was asking about money for his deputies, one council member wanted to know about the computers that the county purchased for the MCSO and why they were still in boxes. Now, this member didn’t come out and say —hey, y’all are wasting our money, but the implication was there. As it turns out, the server that the county has isn’t compatible with the laptops. It seems as if the county council has been buying things without checking if they will work with the antiquated network system that clearly needs updating. But I guess that’s not in the budget either.
Listen, backing the blue is more than flying that flag, putting a bumper sticker on your Ford F-150, and a sign in your yard.
It’s time to pay what you owe and keep the county safe. I’m pretty sure not one member of the council will head out in the county at three in the morning to stop a car theft or a person with a gun.
And you know what else is scary, if we believe that the county’s budget is in such dire straits, there’s no emergency plan. So, let’s say a big fire happens, a tornado or hurricane comes through the region, an earthquake or even the zombie apocalypse happens— there’s no emergency plan. No funds. We’re doomed.
And this isn’t just a Marlboro County problem. NBC News says law enforcement agencies from big cities to small towns are unable to fill vacant positions. “In the past two years, at least 12 small towns have dissolved their departments,” NBC reports.
Somebody call 9-1-1 and see where the county can find $40,000 to keep the citizens safe.