I was appalled watching Sheriff Richard Roundtree deliver his impromptu press conference about the shooting that occurred early June 8. His tone was rude, and his demeanor was slothful at best.
No doubt the officers did a great job and lives were protected. That is in no way to Roundtree’s credit. Those officers were all off-duty. Yet Roundtree takes all of the credit. The real credit should go to the officers and the business owners who hired the officers. Downtown businesses have to hire off duty officers because crime is out of control, and Roundtree’s department can’t handle the crime. Go ahead though take all of the credit Mr. Roundtree. Straight out of the political playbook. Never let a good crisis go to waste.
To make matters worse the only tough questions came from the public and Scott Hudson with The Augusta Press. Other news stations might as well have asked Roundtree about his favorite color or Netflix series. After the launch of the new Citizens on Patrol program, I believe he has spent too much time watching Police Academy.
Roundtree actually said “Downtown is one of the safest parts of Richmond County.” Really? How bad must the rest of Richmond County be if downtown is one of the safest areas?
This wasn’t just a slip of the tongue. When members of the public questioned Roundtree from the sideline, he clearly got irritated and very dismissive of the concerns. Someone needs to remind the sheriff it’s an election year, and those citizens who have concerns are the ones who will be voting for sheriff in the upcoming runoff. Their opinions matter.
Downtown, which is apparently one of the safest parts of downtown, has delved into such chaos that our mayor had to reach out to the governor to ask for assistance. Of course, Roundtree would never have the spine to call a Republican governor to ask for help. Good on Mayor Garnett Johnson for having the guts to stand up and ask for help. Help is needed.
Roundtree only crawls out from behind his computer to get a donut in between Netflix shows or when the GBI is in town. Hence the press conference Saturday. I am confident that had the GBI not shown up or the mayor not called the governor, Roundtree would have remained in his pajamas all daydreaming about Sgt. Callahan from Police Academy.
The gentleman who pointed out that the crime problems downtown have been ongoing with zero response from the sheriff was interrupted by Roundtree and told he is mistaken. The gentlemen also stated that nothing has been done until someone breaks out an assault rifle and starts shooting. Roundtree again interrupted and said he disagreed with the man.
Well, Mr. Sheriff give us some facts and figures. Give us something that we can quantify to fact check your claims that this is not an ongoing problem and that this isn’t the first time you have don’t something publicly to try and address the issue. As someone who gets every single press release from the sheriff’s office, I believe the man was correct. All business owners downtown have experienced the same problem. You call 911 and nobody shows up. Or they show up too late or do nothing once they show up.
Yet, Roundtree wants you to believe downtown is one of the safest parts of Richmond County, crime hasn’t been an ongoing problem in downtown and that he has been actively addressing the issue. Well Mr. Sheriff, I disagree. Show me some facts and figures to prove I am wrong. I can show you crime maps by week that show that not only is downtown not safe, the problem is getting worse. I can show you evidence that you have been silent and inactive until someone breaks out an assault rifle.
Mr. Sheriff, give the citizens, of whom 50% voted that you are not doing your job, some reason to trust that the problems downtown will get better if you are re-elected another four years. If you don’t, I might start posting spoiler alerts to your favorite Netflix shows.
