LETTER TO THE EDITOR: St. Stephen Police Chief Announces Run For Sheriff

This year brought to a close two decades of service to the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office from Wayne DeWitt. Although his departure was ill timed, this has provided the opportunity for the residents of Berkeley County to look to the future and set a new direction for the Sheriff’s Office. My name is John Waters. I am asking the citizens of Berkeley County for their support in serving as the next Sheriff of Berkeley County.

I believe that we are in need of change in the Sheriff’s Office and that we need to look to the roots of public service in order to remember why the public entrusts us with this enormous responsibility. The office of the Sheriff is not about the ego of one man, or a group of men. It is about providing a level of safety and security between the citizens who follow the rules that we have all agreed to and those, who for whatever reason, choose not to.

I would like to express some of my basic positions when it comes to serving the citizens of Berkeley County. These are in no particular order, because each and every one of them is important in the service of our community.

We will never forget that Public Safety is a service we provide to fellow members of OUR community. Never forgetting that we live in the same communities where we serve. An ‘us versus them’ attitude will never be tolerated.
The Office of the Sheriff reflects the community that we serve. Although the Sheriff’s Office must continue to invest in technology to serve our ever-evolving community, we will never lose sight of the people aspect of public safety. Priority of technology investment will go to solutions that will put deputies in our communities, rather than in offices behind computers.
The biggest investment by our community in the Sheriff’s Office is our people. Our Deputies need to earn a living wage. To accomplish this, we will implement a flatter chain of command. The savings from reducing upper and upper-middle tiers of management can be re-directed by County Council to the Deputies on the street. This will also have the effect of making the Sheriff closer to the community, by removing layers of communication.
The Sheriff’s Office is part of the Public Safety TEAM that serves Berkeley County, The Office of the Sheriff, will always work with the other members of the team including Municipal Police, Fire, EMS, School District, State Law Enforcement and Federal authorities.
I will make myself available to members of our community directly. I will host town hall meetings at the Sheriff’s Office where people can interact with us directly and frequently.
The children of Berkeley County are our future, the Sheriff’s Office will work with the School District, churches, and other appropriate groups to protect, mentor and support this invaluable resource of our community.

I give you these thoughts, because as Sheriff, I must earn the trust of the citizens of Berkeley County every day and I believe that this begins by me being open and honest in my actions and communications with you, ALWAYS. This philosophy of earning the trust of the citizens each and every day will be cornerstone of the Sheriff’s Office if I am elected.

I know there is no overnight or quick fix to all the problems and concerns of the citizens, but I’m looking forward to the challenge and welcome all suggestions and concerns from the citizens of Berkeley County.

I am John Waters, candidate for Berkeley County Sheriff, and I’m asking you to make your voice heard by joining me on April 21^st and voting me as your next Sheriff.

ABOUT JOHN WATERS:

John Waters is currently the Chief of Police for the Town of St. Stephen. John has been in law enforcement for over 21 years and has been the Chief of Police for the last 14 years. John served as a Reserve Deputy for the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department prior to his time with the St. Stephen Police Department. Before his law enforcement career, John spend 8 years in the United States Air Force. He also donated his time as the Recreation Department Director for the Town of St. Stephen for 5 years. He is currently married to Pamela Lail Waters and together they have 3 sons, 2 daughters and 7 grandkids.

(Note: Letters to the Editor do no represent endorsements from The Berkeley Observer)