Broadwater County Sheriff, Wynn Meehan
By Tim Ravndal
Today I met with our Broadwater County Sheriff, Wynn Meehan, to begin an open dialogue and to better understand his positions on our rights here at home. I asked a few questions to give us a basic starting point to work together to make all parts of the “Public Safety” aspect of government work “For The People”
Our Sheriff is making extra efforts to establish transparency within the department. He has instituted a FB page and they are working on an open website to help keep the communication lines open between the department and the people. This is essential to obtaining accountability to the people. Kudos to our Sheriff in this decision.
When asked about the role of Sheriff in regards to Federal Government operations and how they influence the local department, he claims there is not a problem here in Broadwater County. Not so sure the question was formed properly.
When asked what it is going to take to have a proactive responsive department when it comes to Title 2 and Title 45 violations against the public trust by elected and appointed officials. His answer was; he is equally concerned that the justice system is broken and that education, communication and public awareness are keys to bringing that needed accountability to the table. Until then, ???
When asked if he has read “Printz v. U.S“, I got the deer in the headlight look. Our Sheriff will be provided information on this important aspect of local government relations to state and federal government directives.
When asked if he supports “Constitutional Carry” he did not understand my direct question, so I made the claim that I should not be required to ask for his permission to wear a coat. It appears that our Sheriff is in the camp where he supports the Second Amendment, but…
I asked if he supports our “Castle Doctrine” and he fully supports the concept but… feels there needs to be clarification in this area to protect the right while making sure there are not abuses in this right. So, in essence, we may exercise our rights to home security but there may be questions needing to clarify where the line is drawn between a right and a crime.
I asked our Sheriff what he feels his highest priority is as Sheriff of Broadwater County. He indicated that is a tough question as there are many aspects of the job that are equally important. The answer I was looking for was an unquestionable; “Defend the Constitutional Rights of the People.”
Our Sheriff is deeply involved in the Montana Sheriffs & Peace Officers Association. His involvement here will without a doubt influence policy. It will be important to make sure that the people are engaged to ensure that there is a fully transparent process. Our Sheriff acknowledges that he does indeed work for “We the People” and not the Association. smile emoticon:) I was informed that Jim Smith from Helena is no longer the lobbyist for MSPOA and Dave Galt will be the registered lobbyist for MSPOA. 🙂
Using the example of the enforcement provisions hidden in ObamaCare, I asked if he would defend the rights of the citizens under the Constitution. His answer was sincere in that he will do his best, but would need to research and understand the enforcement provisions. We need to accelerate our education program in these areas. “One cannot defend ones rights if one does not know what those rights are”
Government overreach is prevalent in many towns across Montana and it is obvious that the local Sheriff is between a rock and a hard spot. It is this area that Article VI of the U.S. Constitution is so important. There must not be exceptions to the rule and it will be up to the people to ensure that our Sheriff has the support essential to his duties under oath!
In closing it is important that the people engage with their County and City law enforcement officials to establish a working relationship where community teams can be built for the future. It is up to us to stand united and we cannot wait for the other guy to do it for us.
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