Well we are very thankful for a safe and nearly uneventful Thanksgiving holiday weekend. We had neither fatality, nor any serious motor vehicle accidents during this holiday weekend here in San Saba. We also had very few arrests over this weekend as well. I was very glad to say that we did not have one DWI arrest this holiday and only 6 or 7 alcohol related citations were issued by the Sheriff's Office. There were actually very few arrests at all during the week of Thanksgiving. I was very excited about this and was very relieved when Ilooked at the final numbers Monday morning. God really blessed us this weekend and as far as I know all of our citizens came home safely.

Now as for working traffic and the speed of travelers coming through San Saba, well that is another story. Traffic was very heavy during most of the holiday weekend, and we saw more than our share of speeders over this weekend. Working traffic is difficult enough, yet when it's coming back to back and the speeds are averaging from 70 mph to 95 mph, then you are truly in a mess. I really feel for those big-city cops who have to work the big highways like 35 or 10, I bet that is a real nightmare. Well I worked several of those days and wrote several citations for 15 mph to 20 mph over the speed limit. I can understand somewhat over and can work with someone in most situations but not that fast in that kind of traffic. I was excited about one thing that I saw during the weekend and that was the fact that I didn't write anyone for their children not being in a seatbelt. I don't care what anyone thinks, that is inexcusable and is something that I look closely for, very closely.

Commissioners court went well Monday, and just a reminder to everyone out there that the burn ban is still in effect. This is a very dangerous time for us in our area; we need to all take precautions and report any burning that you see. Since it is so bad right now, when smoke is reported we will be sending fire units into the area right away. We cannot afford a large fire and we will have to act quickly to ensure that we get to the source of the problem right away. We also want to caution you about throwing your cigarette butts when driving; it doesn't take much to start a fire right now. Campfires during hunting season are something we all look forward to, but let's think twice about them right now. Please help us do all we can to get us through this very dry and dangerous time right now.

I want to thank the cub scouts and their leaders and parents for visiting the jail and the nice article in the paper. We have had several different groups of individuals who have visited the jail and we do all we can to show off our jail every chance we get. We are very proud of the work that our staff has done to get the jail back into great shape and how it represents our community. We encourage you to come take a look at our jail and walk through a piece of working history. While we can't take everyone one at a time through the jail, if you will contact me, we will do our best to set up a time for a group to come through. This all depends on the number of prisoners we have at the time, and how busy we are, but we will do our best to accommodate you. Now there were a few this week who voiced concerns over children in the jail and safety of the children. We plan ahead for these things and make sure that the area is kept safe and it has been cleaned. We also plan ahead for the prisoners and move them upstairs during this time. We do not intend to embarrass anyone or endanger anyone during these visits. Yet we do thank you for voicing your concerns. That thought leads me to my next subject, complaints.

The San Saba County Sheriff's Office works very closely with the community and in doing so and enforcing the law of the State of Texas will generate complaints. Every working (and even some of those who don't work) law enforcement agency will generate complaints that need to be looked into. Every law enforcement agency that I know of has a proper way to handle complaints within that agency. In the San Saba Sheriff's Office, the Chief Deputy is the internal affairs investigator for our office. We have a complaint sheet and are prepared to address any and all complaints that arise in a professional and fair manner. We also want the public to know that if they have a complaint against the Sheriff's Office that they have the right to take their complaint or complaints straight to the District Attorney's Office and or the Attorney General's Office themselves. What most indivuals do not understand is that a complaint to law enforcement is handled with you being advised that to lie or to falsify a statement or report to a "law enforcement agency" is a crime. Texas Penal Code Sec. 37.08 False Report to a Peace Officer or Law Enforcement Employee clearly states this and you have to be advised of this before you give a statement or file a complaint. It is easy to just walk in and accuse someone of something and walk away, it becomes a little more difficult when you can be held accountable for your actions. We will and have investigated numerous verbal complaints made to us, but to this day no one has come in and written a statement and signed it, once they were advised of the consequences of their actions, if it's found to be not true. Now if a complaint is found to be true, then the appropriate actions will be taken against that individual and or individuals involved in the matter.

We want to do the best job possible for our community and still enforce the law as we are required to do. You cannot do this job and make everyone happy, yet we like to think that we try real hard. We can only pray that God grants us the wisdom to do this job as fairly as possible and to put us in the right place at the right time to make a difference in whatever situatuition he chooses to put us in. Please keep all law enforcement officers in your prayers and know that praying is truly the one thing out there that can protect us all from all forms of harm. Please be sure and call us if you need anything during the coming Christmas Season.