Oregon daily emerald., May 21, 1976, Section B, Page 22, Image 34

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Sheriff
Burks:
‘Making the maximum use
of the taxpayers’ dollars’
By BOB WELCH
Of the Emerald
Lane County Sheriff Dave
Burks, seeking another four
year term in office, is stressing
his past performance in his
campaign.
“I believe we have a prog
ressive and professional
staff," said Burks. “I think the
department is making the max
imum use of the taxpayer s dol
lars and is a department the
public can be proud of.”
Burks, 42, has been with the
Lane County Sheriffs Office
(LCSO) for the past 18 years.
He was a patrolman from
1958-1960, a resident deputy
from 1960-1963, a detective
from 1963-1965, a sergeant in
charge of detectives from
1966-1967 and a lieutenant in
charge of detectives before
being elected sheriff in 1973.
Because of LCSO’s budget
problems, Burks says the of
fice must "prioritize” its
areas of concentration.
Crimes against people, he
said, will be tops on the list,
followed by crimes against
property and victimless crimes
(i.e., prostitution, gambling).
He’s a strong backer of a
new county jail, pointing out
that some 400 cells might be
needed by the year 1995 (The
current jail was designed for
80-90 inmates and is consi
dered overcrowded).
Burks said it is no longer
wise to keep adding onto the
present jail and believes the
$11.7 million cost of the new
one “is not that unreasona
ble.”
The Lane County In
teragency Rape Team, he
says, should be run on a
yearly, rather than a month
to-month basis. ‘ Our federal
funds for it are drying up," he
said, "but I’m hoping we can
get some of the $200,000 in
unallocated funds to keep it
going.”
While Burks is personally
opposed to marijuana, he’d
like to see it either completely
legalized or completely illegal.
Burks is opposed to the reg
ulation of guns, pointing out
that the solution to the problem
lies in different areas. The
"certainty of punishment,” he
said, would cut down on gun
related crimes.
Burks dismissed Oley Nel
son, a former deputy who is
running against him, for what
the sheriff called “multiple acts
of misconduct." Because firing
is currently under litigation,
Burks said he could not deal in
specifics but that the situation
was "handled in the proper
way."
In response to charges from
Nelson that the morale of the
LCSO is low, Burks said his
opponents’ statement "is simi
lar to a lot of others he’s made
about me in that it isn't based
on knowledge or fact.
“A good indication of low
morale on the staff is when the
amount of arrests fall off.
We've experienced just the
Dave Burks
opposite. That, plus other indi
cations, tells me our morale
right now is very good."
Burks said LCSO’s relations
with the community are "excel
lent.”
He has completed more
than 60 courses in Law En
forcement and Management
and is currently working to
wards a Criminal Justice Ad
ministration degree at the Uni
versity.
Nelson:
The sheriff has no feeling
for the people he serves’
Safeguard
Oregon’s
Finances
FOR TREASURER
Experience
Experience
Experience
Clay Myers for Treasurer Committee
P.0. Box 568 • Portland. OR 97207
Dou3
UiSWiiif
V for COUNTY COMMSStONEK ^
PaxJ-Meievin for Commissioner, Jeff Lake.
Treas . 777 High, Eugene, OR 97401 _
p
By BOB WELCH
Of the Emerald
Oley Nelson, opposing in
cumbent Dave Burks in the
Lane County sheriffs race, be
lieves there’s a strong need for
change in the position.
One of Nelson’s major con
cerns is what he calls “a lack
of sensitivity between the ad
ministration and the officers
and between the office and the
citizens.
“The sheriff has no feeling
for the people he serves or for
his staff. I asked one officer
recently how the morale was
on the staff and he said don’t
worry about the morale; there
is none’.”
Nelson, a Lane County de
puty for seven years who re
sides in Mapleton, was fired by
Burks recently for what the
sheriff termed as “multiple
acts of misconduct.”
Nelson claims it was “politi
cal assasination. He (Burks)
said he did it in the best in
terest of everyone involved. I
don’t think it was in the best
interest of the people — there
FRANK
ELLIOT
COMMISSIONED
PaM *1 Ctmm. to ratato Frank Eltot, Mai
tack, Eu«aa« Orataa *7«05
are 400 people in Mapleton
(where Nelson worked) and
500 signed a petition saying it
was unfair. I’d say it was only in
the best interest of the shreriff.
He knew I planned to run for
sheriff.’’
Another complaint Nelson
has about the current Lane
County Sheriff’s Office
(LCSO) is that it is overly con
cerned with politics and not
concerned enough with law
enforcement. ‘‘If elected, I'll
make sure the sheriff is re
sponsible to the people,” Nel
son said. “The LCSO should
be off the political party ticket.
Let’s let the people elect the
sheriff, not a party.’’
Among other things, Nelson
would like to see the LCSO in
vestigators “profes
sionalized," the Lane County
Interagency Rape Team run
on a year-round basis instead
of the current month-to-month
basis and highway safety in
creased through education,
not dollars.
Nelson’s stand on other is
sues:
• On the proposed building
of a new Lane County jail: Nel
son is in favor of a new jail but
not if it’s going to cost the
$11.7 million that’s been pro
jected. “I think it can be built for
$5-$6 million,” said Nelson.
“I’ve seen enough jails around
the country to convince me of
that."
On LCSO’s financial prob
lems: “We wouldn’t have any
financial problems if our
priorities were in the right
place. $500,000 out of a $4
million budget goes to ad
ministration now. We need to
get more people out of the of
fices and onto the roads.”
• On the decriminalization
of marijauna: "Personally, I
Oley Nelson
don’t use marijuana, but, leg
ally, I think it should be treated
just like alcohol."
• On the registration of
hand guns: “We've got
enough gun laws. If we’d had
to register guns back in 1776
we wouldn’t be celebrating a
bicentennial in 1976."
Nelson, 32, is currently a
machinist, was educated in
Oregon public schools and
has an advanced education in
aerospace.
He spent seven years work
ing in the aerospace industry
in Los Angeles and until being
dismissed was a Lane County
deputy for seven years.