One of Bryan Murphy’s dreams always has been to be sheriff. Aug. 7 he will find out if this is his chance.
Murphy said he will focus on ridding the county of illegal drugs.
Murphy, who has been working with Allen County law enforcement since 1994, remembers 10 years ago when illegal narcotics in the area were much worse.
“In the ’90s the big issue was meth labs,” but now the problem lies with youth getting hold of prescription drugs.
Oxycodone used to be the misused substance and Xanax went through a phase, but mainly “it is whatever they can get their hands on,” he said.
The key is finding the suppliers, and working hand-in-hand with the drug task force.
Murphy credits a good working relationship with the community as being a reason for less drug abuse in Allen County.
“We talk a lot with the community and always follow leads the community gives us,” he said.
Murphy said officers’ aggressive attacks on stopping drugs has served as a good deterrent.
IN KEEPING crime rates down in the community, Murphy credits the officers’ presence in residential areas and the fact that officers have their own patrol vehicles which some have criticized as a waste of taxpayers’ money. Murphy assures it is not uncommon for officers to have their own vehicles.
Patrol vehicles tend to have more longevity, according to Murphy because officers tend to take better care of them.
Also, it helps keep crime rates down because people are less inclined to break into a home if they see a sheriff’s vehicle parked in front of a home or around that street. It is a “show of force,” he said.
To keep spending down the department doesn’t “just go buy the most expensive vehicles,” Murphy said.
The officers’ fleet is made up of trucks, which have more of a resale value than the traditional Crown Victoria.
Murphy has been able to take a look at next year’s budget and reassures he has no intention, if he takes office, to have any tax raises.
In fact, the sheriff’s department has been successful in keeping under budget each year by roughly 5 percent, he said.
“There is no reason to spend money just to spend money,” he said.
MURPHY FEELS that since he has been undersheriff since 1999 he has a “good grasp on what the community needs and would be able to serve them well,” he said.
He has served not only under Sheriff Tom Williams but also has worked under previous administrations, which he believes gives him a good understanding of what all the job entails.
One of the policies he does not think he will change, if elected, is not harboring heinous prisoners in Allen County.
“The problem with taking in bigger county prisoners is having to take in account visitations and family and friends relocating to our area,” Murphy said. “We don’t need that criminal entity coming down here.”
Murphy, who started his career in corrections, said he wouldn’t have a problem with taking in outside criminals if it was for a small duration of time, six months or a year.
