Dear Editor,

I find it interesting that in an article last week, the first reason Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie has for re-electing him sheriff is the cost of changing the letterhead for the sheriff’s department. Are you serious?

We have real problems in our county. We don’t have enough police officers on the street. According to an officer I spoke with recently there were five deputies on the street that night for all of Effingham County. With a population of over 50,000, does that make you feel safe?

Let’s face facts. The majority of the residents of Effingham County never have contact with the police department. That’s a good thing. However, when you need law enforcement its scary having to wait 30 to 45 minutes for them to get to you.

“We’ve made a major dent in the county drug trade,” McDuffie said. Really? Is that why our county is called Methingham? Someone told me recently that they called the police about an active meth lab. When the deputy arrived he agreed that “something” was going on. He called for backup. However, when he finished the call the neighbor was told “they were too busy” and the Deputy left. I probably don’t understand the big picture concerning drugs, but it seems to me that it would be more productive to shut down production of drugs, not walk away.

It’s time for a change. I’ll be voting for Rick Gossett.

Rose Harvey