Sheriff Johnson is also aware

that the marshals department has arrest powers because he has been accepting

individuals arrested by the marshals department for many years.

Sheriff Johnson trusted the

ability of Chief Butch Hall to make wise decisions based on his very extensive

training while Chief Hall was Sheriff Johnson's top deputy at the

Sheriff's Department. Therefore, he should still consider Chief Hall

very knowledgeable concerning law enforcement.

There appear to be underlying

issues as to why Sheriff Johnson has suddenly decided to show his dislike

of the marshals department. Could it be that Sheriff Johnson is worried

about the possibility of the marshals department becoming a county police

department, thus removing a lot of power from Sheriff Johnson and his

deputies?

I believe it is time for Fayette

County to do as many surrounding counties have done and create a county

police department to patrol the streets and investigate crimes within

the county. Most large counties have a sheriff's department to perform

court services and jail operations, while the county police handle all

law enforcement duties.

Now is the time to make this

transformation while the marshals department is small in number, therefore,

keeping the cost of such conversion to a very minimum expense to the taxpayers.

Chief Butch Hall is very capable

of heading up the county police department and laying a foundation for

a respectable law enforcement agency to be built upon. Again, now is the

time and I ask the county commission to consider this option. Fayette

County is in the middle of enormous growth and we need a county police

department.

Ashley Layne Watson

Fayette

[Watson is the daughter of

Jim Watson, currently serving a life term in prison for the murder of

his wife Beverley, who was Ashley's mother.]