Sheriff Schirard does not micromanage his staff, which I found extremely refreshing to once again have a sheriff that has trust and faith in his department heads. Of course, those officers have the ability, knowledge and expertise to handle their individual budget concerns.

As part of my responsibility, I assisted with budget and witnessed firsthand Duke’s involvement with administrative matters, which included budget preparation. Ex-commissioner White’s remarks are so timeworn. His letter was reminiscent of the relationship with the county commissioners of 1984 (when I first started working at the sheriff’s department), who also wanted to tell the sheriff how to run his department.

When I read his other remarks concerning incidents that happened more than 20 years ago, my immediate reaction was he obviously doesn’t have all the facts. Duke Schirard has done a remarkable job as sheriff for La Plata County, and I know he will continue to do so.

Joan Byrd

Boise, Idaho