County sheriff fires deputy
By Queenie Wong
Rockbridge County Sheriff Bob Day doesn’t believe in paying somebody who wants to take his job.
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Sheriff Robert Day photo by Queenie Wong |
So
last April, when Deputy Robert Clark acknowledged to Day that he was
considering running against him in the upcoming election, Day fired him.
The sheriff is a constitutional officer and his deputies serve at his
will.
“I’m not the brightest person in the world, but I’m not a darn fool,”
said Day.
He described deputies as “ambassadors of good will” who support their
boss. If they choose to do otherwise then they can freely leave, he
said.
Clark, who started working for the sheriff in 2001, described the firing
as disheartening, but that’s not the issue he is stressing in his
campaign to replace Day on Nov. 6.
The morale of the sheriff’s office is terrible, he says. Evidence of
this is “the 17 deputies that have left in the last 12 years.”
Clark said that morale began to decline even more rapidly a year ago
with the re-hiring of Tim Hickman as lieutenant and chief investigator.
Hickman had worked for Day as a deputy from 1995 to 1998.
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Former Deputy Robert Clark photo submitted by Clark |
Clark
said Hickman was a friend of Day, and that’s why he was promoted over
other employees with more experience.
Day defended his hiring of Hickman. While Hickman was gone from
Rockbridge County, Day said, he worked for the Roanoke County Police
Department and earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and his
master’s in computer science. That, Day said, made Hickman more than
qualified.
Clark also complained of a lack of openness in the sheriff’s office.
“I think that the department is a great department,” he said. “The men
that work there are knowledgeable and have plenty of experience, but
they are not able to express their ideas.”
Day said deputies are not discouraged from speaking up, and called
Clark’s accusation “sour grapes.”
Clark is also calling for more cooperation between the sheriff’s office
and other law enforcement agencies, as well as the local fire and rescue
departments.
All those departments are trying to achieve the same goals, he said.
“I think with the lack of communication, it just slows things up.”
Clark also wants to increase law enforcement presence in the county
school system and on the rural back roads, focusing less on the
interstates. He plans to pursue more grants and funding for both goals.
Clark believes that better pay would encourage deputies to continue
working at the sheriff’s office. That’s why he wants to implement the
Master Deputy Program, a state supplement that would give deputies up to
nearly 10 percent more. The bulk of deputies’ salaries are set by the
county Board of Supervisors based on recommendations from Day.
The Master Deputy Program requires deputies to go through a minimum of
40 hours of specialized training as well as 40 hours of in-service
training. They also must earn a score of 95 percent in firearms
proficiency.
Day, who has been sheriff for the last 15 years, said he doesn’t see any
big changes if he’s re-elected.
“I think I’ve got enough track record now that people know what they’re
going to get,” he said.
Day suspects that Clark is running against him because of an incident in
which he rejected Clark’s request for 30 days without pay. Clark wanted
to work on his oil changing business on
North Lee Highway, Day said.
Clark said the incident had no bearing on his decision to run for
sheriff. Now that the business has been established he no longer needs
to oversee operations. Balancing the business with being sheriff would
not be a problem, he said.
According to documents submitted by the candidates to the Rockbridge
County Registrar’s Office in September, Day and Clark have spent almost
equal amounts on their campaign.
Since Aug. 31, Day has spent $1,271.69, while Clark has spent $1,300.
Day, undefeated in the last four elections, said he remains determined
to win.
“This is my career, it’s my job and I’m not ready to retire.”
Virginia Sheriffs' Association
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Brian Richardson
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd