The Valley Chronicle - Can you expect a promotion without earning it?

Unfortunately for Hemet, Dave Brown has been made to believe by his cronies, the City Council, and police unions that he has what it takes to successfully perform the duties of county sheriff

■ Alphonse Lagarde / Contributed Only in Hemet can the police chief aspire to become Riverside County Sheriff, lacking any semblance of the required qualifications for this most important position. In all cases, particularly in this one, the aspirant must demonstrate his/her eligibility with objective accomplishments in the field. The accepted most important metric here, without exception, is the reduction in crime. In Hemet, it’s the opposite. Unfortunately for Hemet, Dave Brown has been made to believe by his cronies, the City Council, and police unions – looking out only for their personal or group interests rather than those that benefit the whole community, and by some apathetic citizens too indifferent to get involved in what is best for the city – that he has what it takes to successfully perform the duties of county sheriff. Brown’s dismal results during his tenure as chief of police are readily available and apparent, making him totally unqualified for the job. San Jacinto, under the watchful eye of the county sheriff, has three times less violent crime than Hemet per 1,000 residents. In a recent interview with reporter Rusty Strait, The Valley Chronicle, Oct. 5, 2017, Brown was incapable of assembling a direct answer to the direct question “What are the five accomplishments you are most proud of during your term as Chief of Police?” He responded with double talk and paralogia (a disorder of the faculty of reasoning characterized by disconnected and meaningless speech). The decent, hard-working citizens of Hemet got a good look at the kind of dishonest individual Dave Brown is when he reported to the City Council that violent crime is down since the implementation of Measure U. He said that rape is down by 50 percent; robbery down by 33 percent; aggravated assault down by 39 percent and that homicide went up from 1 to 3. Moreover, he said that of the newly-hired police officers only one has quit, but Sarah McComas, city clerk, stated that at least six officers have resigned from the HPD. Brown is also guilty of under-reporting the extent of violent crime in Hemet; in the webpage CrimeReport.com used by the Police Department to report on crime in Hemet, no mention is made of rape, robbery, aggravated assault or homicide. Safety in Hemet has never been this low and the feeling of insecurity by residents has never been this high. A change of police chief for a qualified and honest person who will really clean up the city is urgent. Dave Brown has demonstrated his lack of honesty and ethics and should be removed at once. By leaving his deputy police chief at the helm when he retires in December will only add insult to injury because Charles “Rob” Webb has not only been an equal partner in the failure to rid Hemet of crime, but on his own, has shown his monumental dishonesty in the Anthony Norman tragedy. General elections for county sheriff will be held Nov. 6, 2018 and a primary election may be held on June 5, 2018. Dave Brown should not even be a contender because he lacks all of the necessary qualifications.