When I read about Sheriff Christianson using the Stanislaus County helicopter to drop golf balls at a charity event being held in another county, I was about to get angry about the squandering of limited resources.
Because I believe in our Sheriff, my anger immediately subsided when he said his staff used the trip for legitimate training purposes. Given the rising crime rate, we need the capability to bomb criminals with golf balls. This new capability adds to previous departmental experience using helicopters for boar hunting and alcohol transport.
There was probably a good reason not to hold the charity event at a golf course in Stanislaus County. One would hope that the reason was not a lack of adequate security.
During this era of anti-government sentiment, one has to wonder why those in a position of leadership continue to make expenditures that open themselves up to ridicule and/or criticism.
Government needs to regain citizen trust and credibility. As well intentioned as the golf ball drop obviously was, the harm done to local government credibility may have been greater than the good act of charity.
The amount of money expended was trivial compared to the entire budget of the Sheriff’s Department, but many taxpayers are counting every penny to survive these days. For the good of the community, giving taxpayers another reason to dislike their government is unwise.
