Dear White County Voters:
As we enter into 2010, I, Chief Deputy James F. Bolen, am enthusiastic to announce my candidacy for election as White County Sheriff on the Republican Ballot.
For the past 17 years, I have been a resident of White County of which 16 years, I have served within the White County Sheriff’s office. I had started with the Sheriff’s office as a Jail Officer shortly after serving in Desert Storm and honorably discharging from the United States Air Force. Through a diligent work ethic and desire to further serve my community, I later earned the position of Merit Deputy. It was during my years as a Deputy that I continued to build on my skills and experience as a law enforcement officer. In 2004, these skills , led to my promotion to the position of Chief Deputy. I have maintained the position of 2nd in command of the White County Sheriff Department for over the past six years. In addition to this, over the past several years I have been on the White County Republican Committee, as a Jackson Township Committeeman, Burnettsville Town Board member, as well as an instructor with the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. Whereas I have grown through all these experiences, it has been during my tenure as Chief Deputy that I have gained the insight needed to diligently serve the citizens of White County as Sheriff.
I have the experience, the knowledge, and the professionalism needed to be the next Sheriff of White County. The past 6 years I have spent a lot of time learning every intricate detail on the administration side, specifically the Sheriff’s position. My initiative as well as my desire to give 110% to each and every project I work on has made me a dedicated and efficient Chief Deputy. As Sheriff I will do no less.
I will not make any political promises that are unrealistic or that I am not confident that can be met. Rather, I will set goals and continue to build on the successes that Sheriff Roberts and I have accomplished and continue to work on and improve them to an even greater level. Through numerous grants that I have written and seen through to completion, we have been able to sufficiently meet the needs of our employees as well as the public without burdening the taxpayers. We ran a tight budget and that will remain a priority, especially in these uncertain economic times.
I don’t know where the economy is going to go in the next four years, and after the current layoffs within our own department, hiring more personnel in the near term is unlikely. Our current operating budget has been trimmed to the bare bone, and I believe any further cuts would greatly hurt the Department and its daily operations. Until the economy improves, we need to focus on other avenues for lightening the financial burdens of the taxpayers, while still funding critical areas to ensure the safety and well being of our citizens. I will accomplish this by continuing to seek out grants and programs that will take the stress of funding off of our taxpayers and office. I have already identified grants through the State and Federal Government to fund: Water patrol, DUI Task Force, and Operation Pullover (to keep the drivers of the county safe). Additionally, I have obtained grants for digital fingerprinting devices, modern radars, portable breath testers to determine alcohol levels of impaired drivers, and new bulletproof vests to ensure the safety of our deputies. Furthermore, I believe I can decrease costs while increasing services by using our own department’s instructors to facilitate state mandated annual training.
Additionally, I intend on having 1 officer certified in accident reconstruction and 1 additional trained crime scene investigator in order to improve response times. Finally, I intend to continue and build on current successes of the Sheriff’s Office such as; child ID, maintaining and strengthening the Reserve Division, and continuing to ensure our direct involvement with the community with an emphasis on school projects particularly on anti-drugs, and right choices for youth.
From my early days working within the Sheriff’s Department, it has been my goal to become Sheriff of White County. I feel we have one of the best Departments in the State of Indiana. The Deputies and Jail Officers are all highly trained and very efficient. It would be a great honor to be the Sheriff of this County and I look forward to the opportunity of continuing to serve the citizens if elected.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
James F. Bolen
PAID FOR AND AUTHORIZED BY THE
BOLEN FOR SHERIFF COMMITTEE,GAYLE HIGH,TREASURER PO BOX 118 BURNETTSVILLE IN 47926