“The Right Candidate At The Right Time”

Not A Political Insider

The era for life time politicians, no matter the elected position, is coming to an end on the American landscape, and Lake County Indiana is no different. Self-serving politicians and their lack of effective community services has never been under more scrutiny and criticism than it is today.

I am not a political insider, nor have I ever run for a political office. However, I have never felt more strongly about stepping out of my comfort zone to try to make a difference to improve our community, and make it a safer place for everyone to live and work.

Not The Same Old, Same Old

Low voter turnout, apathy in the ability of elected officials to solve community problems and lack of trust in government are all directly related to the increasing disconnect between hard working everyday citizens and their publically elected officials, and this includes the Lake County Sheriff's Department.

The expectations that the people of Lake County have for the Sheriff's Department has diminished through the years, and as a life time resident of this county, this is not acceptable.

Unfortunately, many people of all ages believe it doesn't matter if they vote in local, state or national elections. Others believe that what they think and care bout about in their community doesn't count for anything because nobody will listen or act.

It does matter, especially with crime and safety.

To Serve And Protect

The phrase “To Serve And Protect” is the doctrine that all law enforcement departments live by throughout the country, but it must be more than words.

My administration would welcome ideas and feedback from community leaders, churches, business leaders, business organizations, community watch groups and youth organizations on what crimes and safety issues are of the most concern to them. Processes and programs would be put in place that they could utilize to provide input on what the Lake County Sheriff's Department needs to accomplish to reduce crime and increase personal safety.

If our sheriff's department is truly committed to serving and protecting, it only makes sense to give the community a voice on how we can better meet the needs of the community we serve.

Fiscally Responsible

My immediate plans once I am in office are to assess all departments to find out where we are financially, and where we need to be. From there, develop a plan of action accordingly that takes into account fiscal responsibility because in today's economics, all government entities must be fiscally responsible because there is no other option. Government waste of any kind is simply not acceptable, and making promises and decisions without the facts is the quickest means to waste tax payer funds.

If cuts need to be made in the Sheriff's budget, the cuts would be in the administrative side because reducing law enforcement officers on the street is not a risk I am willing to support.

Open And Defined Communication

I am more than willing to support and assist all local police departments with every investigation of any local crime. I believe an open door policy with an open exchange of information between departments will not only streamline investigations, but solve them as well.

Defined communication between local police departments and the sheriff's department is vital when responding to a threat on the national or local level. In other words, the left hand must know what the right hand is doing if we are to properly protect the citizens of Lake County Indiana in a crisis or state of emergency.

Pro-Active Administration

My administration is going to be different from the current Sheriff's Department. I am going to run a pro-active department that is going to identify the problems, and then put together solutions before the problems occur.

As compared to the current reactive administration that lets problems occur, which then defines what they then need to do. Not only is this an in-efficient philosophy and policy, it comes at a high price that is picked up by the tax payers of our county.

I always use an analogy when comparing the effectiveness of a pro-active approach to a reactive approach.

If you have a headache, you can take an aspirin for the headache, but if you continue to keep getting a headache, maybe taking an aspirin every day is not the best approach to the problem. While taking the aspirin every day will treat the symptoms of the headache, the best approach would be to cure what is causing the headaches.

My administration will not just treat the symptoms of crime (i.e. arrest and detain criminals), but we will also work to put much needed programs in place, so that the problem (i.e. crime) is cured and the same offenders don't come back through the system after committing another crime.

Crime doesn't suddenly start when an individual reaches a certain age; instead it is a culmination of different dynamics taking place in one's life in their formative years that can influence decisions to commit a crime.

In my years as an investigator for the Child Protective Service for the State of Indiana, I determined in many instances that warning signs had been missed by government agencies that possibly could have prevented a crime, but more importantly protected the victim or victims of the crime.

A warning sign that society is missing today which is contributing to our rising crime statistics is an unstable home environment that is lacking parental supervision and discipline. In Cook County Illinois, former Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan helped develop a boot camp program that encompasses two platforms: discipline and education. The ultimate goal of the boot camp is to make participants employable and successful members of society.

I firmly believe that developing a Lake County Indiana Boot Camp will address the growing recidivism rate of young offenders in our county, especially first-time offenders. I envision the program to be an 18-week curriculum of military style discipline, drug and alcohol counseling, anger management, manual labor and basic vocational training. Upon graduation, the participants enroll in an eight-month, post detention program where they work with boot camp staff to find employment, continue substance abuse counseling or continue their education.

Facilities currently exist in Lake County Indiana that only need to be modified and fixed up to serve as the area's boot camp, which will keep the costs down.

The key component to the boot camp, which is near and dear to my heart, is the on-site vocational training. When investigating cases for the Child Protective Service for the State of Indiana, I encountered many family situations in which the phrase hopelessness about life was sounded over and over.

The young people seemed to believe hope was lost and that the only opportunity to overcome the multitude of challenges they faced on a daily basis was to become involved in criminal activities. Vocational programs involving the fine arts, culinary classes, computer training courses that would be part of the boot camp, would show the youth that opportunities do exist. Along with being taught vocational skills, they would also understand the importance of life-long learning to stay employed in today's economy.

We can continue to build more jails and prisons to house the criminals, especially first time offenders, or we can build programs that work to keep individuals from choosing a life of crime.

Chris Roberts-Gonzalez In Three Words

If you ask yourself, why should I vote for Chris Robert-Gonzalez for Lake County Sheriff, and what differentiates me from the other candidates seeking the position….it's really very simple.

I am not a life-long politician, I am not a political insider and I do not represent the same old, same old.

Instead, I offer a fresh perspective and new ideas to benefit everyone in Lake County Indiana, and

I am …...committed to serve (that's me in three words).