The sheriff’s office operates with little to no oversight when it comes to budget and financial matters — especially since funding was removed from county control and turned over to the state. Try finding anyone in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections who will claim knowledge about the spending, personnel and policy decisions in the Dukes County sheriff’s office.

The budget and planning process for the myriad of functions of the sheriff’s office is not open to public scrutiny and is not accountable to anyone. If the sheriff’s office was interested in running a tight, effective Community Corrections program they could have chosen to revitalize it years ago. They didn’t think they needed to bother.

Our current Sheriff Ogden ran the D.A.R.E. program for decades — thousands of dollars subsidized that program and his position. Yet that program is considered by many to be a national failure. Please ask the sheriff to produce statistical evidence that this program has had any measurable effect to limit drug use on the Vineyard the past 20 years.

Cutting funding for the Community Corrections program does not discount an entire county. It does indicate that the state would probably like to see the Dukes County sheriff’s office tighten its belt and be able to prove that its programs are effective, staffed appropriately and meet the needs of the community.

I believe this budget cut offers Sheriff Ogden the opportunity to make other choices in how he uses his funds to meet the goals of his office. However, it would require leadership and vision — perhaps breaking with how things have always been done. He would need to expand the roles of the staff and officers under his command, foster cooperation and cohesion among departments, and demand that services are provided in an efficient and timely manner. If he is unable or unwilling to meet this challenge, then we should all expect the Vineyard to lose its house of corrections next. And remember, the county turned that piece of real estate over to the commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Juleann VanBelle
West Tisbury