I am John Tegg and I want to serve you as Orange County Sheriff. I place integrity and ethics in high regards. I will bring back high ethical standards to the Office of Sheriff. By doing so, I will refocus the direction of the Sheriff’s Office to delivering quality service to the people of Orange County.

Over the past three years robberies have increased over 100 percent, homicides nearly 40 percent and property crime is through the roof. In 2006 there were more than 2,700 robberies, carjackings and home invasions in Orange County and the numbers are skyrocketing in 2007.

In 2006 there were almost 1,500 crimes where a firearm was used in Orange County, which is a 235% increase over 2005. From 2004 to 2006 there was a 60% increase in the number of firearms stolen in Orange County - from 269 in 2004 to 446 in 2006. Every year the number of criminals that shoot at and try to injure Orange County deputies increases and the current sheriff’s office administration continues business without any definable response strategy.

When I am elected Sheriff of Orange County, my first order of business will be to shift personnel to combat violent crime. I will ensure that ALL deputies are answering calls for service, fighting violent crime and protecting our children. I will put all the resources of the sheriff’s office into uniform patrol officers, visible tactical units and special undercover surveillance and fugitive units. I will assign the tactical units to the sector commanders to ensure that every area of the county has a strong law enforcement presence. All of the support specialty units such as K-9 and Aviation will be available 24 hours a day.

I want to gain the respect and cooperation of all the good citizens in Orange County to work to make our neighborhoods safe again. I want every robber to know that when they pull a gun that 1,500 highly trained deputies and more than one-million citizens will be on the look-out for them until they are arrested.

When I am elected sheriff, I will drastically increase the presence of deputies on International Drive and in other tourism areas. This is a very important area to our economy, and much like our neighborhoods, it has been ignored for many years. If the violent crime continues to increase in the tourism areas, we may not be able to win back control in those areas and keep tourists visiting our county. Visitors to Orange County deserve to be able to vacation here and feel safe.

I will work with other law enforcement agencies through the Municipal Police Chiefs Association of Orange County, of which I am a current member, to increase police response and assistance through a better mutual aid policy.

Currently no police officer can take action in Orange County without the permission of the Sheriff’s Office. Obtaining permission can be a time consuming, cumbersome process. I will streamline the process and will encourage the assistance and support of our brothers and sisters in other law enforcement agencies.

I believe that the men and women that work at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office are some of the best in the business or I would not want to lead them. With my dedication, leadership, vision and fiscal responsibility, I can once again make Orange County a safe place to live and the sheriff’s office a proud place to work.

In 1996, the Sheriff’s Office was number one in the area in pay to their employees. Since that time, the pay rate of the employees has dropped to one of the lowest in the area. This is because of mismanagement on the part of the Sheriff with the sufficient funds allocated by the county commission. I will work hard to trim excess spending of the Sheriff’s Office and raise the pay of the employees. Currently there are a large number of highly trained personnel leaving the Sheriff’s Office because the pay is so low. By raising the pay of the employees, we will stop the mass exodus of good, qualified personnel.

I raised my children in Orange County. This is not the same county. It is plagued with violence and crime. I hope someday to raise my grandchildren here in Orange County and have them feel safe. After years of neglect and mismanagement, Orange County won’t become safe overnight. But I will have results. I will turn this crime trend around and make Orange County a safe place for us to live with our children, our grandchildren and each other.