07/03/2023
Many may not have seen the Editorial Board article in this week’s paper where it said, “The city is considering taking up the slack left from Sheriff Ronnie Boyd…” I have attached a photo of the article to give a fuller context to the statement. No one identifying himself/herself as a member of the Editorial Board has once reached out to me to understand my decision; they chose instead to just say I was slacking. I’m guessing putting in 65 to 70 hours a week, around 80 a couple of times, is slacking? I will provide a few more thoughts that went into my decision-making. I believe I have already given a strong argument as to why I have made the decision that I have made but will give a little more information to understand the situation better.
Many may not know or have forgotten how the sheriff’s office took on the role of providing SRO’s to the Huntsville School District. The sheriff’s office took on the role in 2007 after the Huntsville Police Department decided it could not or did not want to take on that role. This is in no way a statement against the Huntsville Police Department, the previous chief, or current Police Chief Todd Thomas. Chief Thomas is as good of a police chief as you will find and friend, as well. It is merely a statement of fact that a decision had to be made to accept or decline that role based on the circumstances at that time. The sheriff’s office must have decided they could handle that role at that time. I am trying to let people know that the sheriff’s office cannot continue with that responsibility as the situation stands today.
Some people seem to think things were perfect with the SRO’s; but just this year in a conversation with school administrators, they told me they were concerned about the sheriff’s office frequently pulling the SRO’s out of the schools to handle calls or other duties the sheriff’s office deemed necessary. That was their biggest complaint with how things were done in the past. I assured them that we do not try to factor them into coverage on a regular basis; but at times, it could be the only solution. Having to take the SRO’s out of the school to cover everyday patrol duties, further makes my point that the sheriff’s office has been clearly understaffed for some time. The “slack” or lack of manpower was already there; I’m just trying to fix it. If I commit to providing that service, I want to see them get that service. I would only be giving the illusion that the schools were better protected than they were, and that would be dishonest. It was, also, just a few years ago that school officials had discussed the possibility of the Huntsville Police Department taking over the SRO Program: again, citing the frequent removal of the SRO’s from the school as the source of their dissatisfaction.
As far as not giving notice, I thought that was exactly what I was doing, giving notice at the earliest possible time when school was out and the deputies were not actively performing in the SRO capacity. I will remember in the future to give notice that I am going to give notice of something. Having just received notice of two deputies who would soon be leaving, I knew I had to make a decision quickly. I knew there was no way to fulfill the obligation to the school and that they needed time to come up with a solution. I had even talked to Huntsville Police Chief Todd Thomas prior to telling Superintendent Warren to see if he might be willing to take on that responsibility.
As for the anonymous “Editorial Board” taking a swipe at me and not why I took the actions that I did, I think that says more about them than me. I can take their shots at me; but for far too long, the media has been unchecked in its ability to ridicule people or play with the facts in an effort to get the results they want. They are absolutely entitled to their opinion however ill-informed it is, and I am absolutely entitled to respond to it. They have clearly shown by their wording that their position towards me is personal and not substantive. If they are going to take pot shots at me, I am going to make sure that they can back them up with facts, not just with biased opinions. Cowardice, also, comes to mind when I see anonymous personal attacks.
I do want to thank Rod Herrington from The Record for his professionalism when speaking with me. I’m sure we don’t agree on many things of a political nature, but I feel that we can have an open and honest conversation without political antagonism. That is how I do my job, as well, because politics should not be a factor in how others are treated and laws are enforced.
The Record should also know that I am the one in control of my name, not them. If my name is going to get sullied, it will be because of my actions, not their words about me. I am fully aware that I am not perfect, but I try to live my life where not much can be said against. If you hear someone speak ill of me, come and talk to me and make your own judgement on who I am and not who someone else says I am. That’s what I’ve always tried to do with others.
I do have to wonder about someone’s intentions when making a personal attack against another and not a critical argument against the actions in which they disagree. I think I know the answer but that may be a discussion for another day. If The Record believes it is doing a public service trying to minimize someone who is putting in the work and actually enjoying doing it, it must not be thinking of the best interests of the community. I took on the job to do the work and improve the conditions at the Sheriff’s Office and for the citizens of the county. If I fail, I don’t see how that’s good for anyone, but some don’t really seem to care about that. If I am corrupt or make an obviously stupid decision with no rationale behind it, by all means, come after me.
I will admit when I make a mistake, but I will not bend or apologize for doing what I think is the right and responsible decision for my office and the citizens of our county, no matter the pressures mounted against me.
Ronnie Boyd
Madison County Sheriff
