Public Comments On Sheriff Arnold's Indictments

May 28, 2016 at 02:44 pm by bryan


Citizens, those connected with local law enforcement and government employees are speaking out about the indictment charging Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold.

In light of some of the alleged demotions and firings, NewsRadio WGNS has chosen not to identify persons who make these statements.

ADVERTISEMENT

What should Sheriff Arnold do?

  • "There are many respectful, honest, employees suffering at this man's expense. Just once I would like to see the good being done by them . I hate comments like the whole place is corrupt! It truly is not. This is just a shame to the employees who have five to thirty-five years of service, who only ask for a healthy environment in which to do their thankless job!"
  • "If you voted for him the second time around, you gave him almost 52% of the votes. Did you think all of those deputies being fired as they announced they were running for office was coincidence? This problem could have ended with one term. Those who promulgated this deserve what happened. Before you vote--THINK!"
  • "This brings shame to Rutherford County, but as a taxpayer, I'm worried about the growing lawsuits our county is paying for. That's your and my money. Is this what we want the budget to cover, and bring on increases in taxes? This problem has been out in the open for a long time, why hasn't someone stepped-in?"
  • "Sure, I think he should resign. But there's another side. He's a father with 2 young children and if he resigns, the family income would be gone. Why can't the county put him on leave with pay until the courts make a decision. It's done with lower ranking officers. He will be out of office this way, no more embarrassment, and out of our hair"
  • "It is a sad day for Rutherford Countians and an embarrassment to the deputies in our Sheriffs Department. Although we citizens are not involved, it is not what we want in our county. Public trust may have been broken but I do not want to let it put a blemish on our city and county law enforcement officers. In fact we need to thank them whenever we see them for their service to the community."
  • "Why wait for him to resign -- FIRE HIM!!"
  • "To the comment about his kids and putting him on pail leave its bull hockey they dont care about us I went thru justice system two years ago over something my ex did I got blame for and all proof they had was a pix of me standing in line at my bank ive dealt with for four years I spent 10 days in jail lost my job my apartment ive recovered now but he dont care about us fire him so he can see how the honest man struggles"
  • "For those who say fire him, I agree, but remember that you're innocent until proven guilty. He would sue the county, and us taxpayers would be out millions. I like the leave with pay. From what Acting US Attorney Jack Smith said, the government researched for over a year and their ducks sound like they're in order. If Arnold walks away with only half of that 95-year sentence, that will make him almost 88 when he's released."
  • "He is a total embarrassment to our county! He should resign, but he will NEVER do that. He is on a Power Trip. That's why he thinks he can run for a 3rd term!! He may be delusional as well. He never gave me the impression that he was the sharpest pencil in the pencil box. I think I voted for him the 1st go round, but not the 2nd. It was obvious to me that something was very wrong in the Sheriff's Dept. It is such a shame that he won a 2nd term. And now we, as taxpayers, are paying the price."

"Regarding what's next concerning Sheriff Arnold. The public needs to have a better understanding of how their government and constitutional offices work. The Sheriff is an elected official, and cannot be managed by Rutherford county government like an employee. His office has the authority to impose fees and fines to generate revenue, however those fines are collected through the court system and he must have those funds directed to his department via an approved budget process which is done so through our county commission. The Sheriff, meaning the authority and office of, is the highest law enforcement authority of the land and dates back to 9th century England. It is not a department of county government subordinate to the governing body of the county. The Sheriff's authority is tied directly to the state's constitution. It is through the authority of the Sheriff that all law enforcement operates within its given jurisdiction, in this case our county. It is the office of the Sheriff that gives federal authorities permission to operate within the Sheriff's jurisdiction. The criteria for proving wrongdoing is much higher against a person in a law enforcement capacity than the average person. While there may be sufficient evidence to indict, an indictment does not indicate guilt. The safety and well being of this county is of the utmost importance, and maintaining order of those detained. We must allow the process in place to take its course and let the truth prevail. Rumor and circumspect will not benefit the good citizens of our county, nor those men and women who put their lives in each other's hands keeping the law for the good citizens of Rutherford. I found this in my research and it's something to consider:

  1. Remember those sheriffs who have served in our counties and across the nation. Build on their success - learn from their mistakes.
  2. Serve with integrity.
  3. Do not abdicate Sheriff's responsibilities, duties, or management rights to other governmental entities, unions, or political influence. The sheriff alone stands directly accountable to citizens for quality of service of the Sheriff's Office.
  4. Know and fulfill the Sheriff's moral and statutory responsibilities.
The Sheriff and all those in law enforcement should never forget that he or she has a calling to be "a minister of God for good." Rom 13:4 For those who have the privilege of serving as a County Sheriff, it is truly a privilege and Honor to Serve. For more information about the Sheriff's authority and role, go to sheriffs.org."
  • "This wonderful county deserves better and can do better, it just appears a long time ole boy network is still active and I hope all locals rise up and push hard to make things better. I still don't fully understand how a local mayor and county mayor and all the lawyers of seeming duplication and levels of confusing infrastructure, could have your the sheriff going from "rumors about him" to being indicted and the feds involved. I hope things don't get buried. Since nobody much wants to say very much..maybe the feds will speak loud and clear."
  • "Thanks for your forum and service to our community" Regarding Federal Indictment of Sheriff Arnold and Others: I first met Sheriff Arnold a few months after he took office when he and some of his deputies reached out to me design seat-belt training units for Rutherford County residents to have available for educating them on how to correctly install child car seats. I understand what the charges and the indictment now brought forth against him entail, but I also know there are many good things he has implemented while in office that have benefited our county. It is easy to focus in on one "bad" item at the risk of overlooking all the good ones for which a person is responsible. I'm not indicating the Sheriff did not use poor judgement in his affiliation with this e-cig venture but when you consider some of the other "conflicts of interests" present at the local level in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County it makes focusing in on the potential that our Sheriff made $66K off an e-cig ring seem to amount to nothing more than jealousy on the parts of others who would like to see him out of office. I believe the biggest mistake he made was not disclosing facts to the auditors. If not a local venture to provide such a service and return that money to the local economy, would not that product have just as easily been sold and benefited parties outside the county? I am reminded that I am quick to beg for mercy when I am implicated but demand justice when I have been wronged. If we all received the latter, we'd find out soon that many of us are not on as firm ground as we once thought.

If you are a resident of Rutherford County, e-mail your thoughts to this electronic "Man On The Street" opinion pole. Your name will not be released. E-mail your thoughts to news@wgnsradio.com.

Sections: News