When will we hear from the Sheriff on this?
Does the buck stop with her as it should with all good leaders?

For months, more and more persons have been indicted in this gun permit bribery scandal as it creeps to the top of the Sheriffs Dept. Sheriff Laurie Smith now stands alone.

Her record is concerning. On her watch, 3 jailers killed a mentally ill inmate in his cell and are in prison for murder.

Currently Smith refuses to release vital Deputy records to the County’s oversight monitor, though told to do so by the Board of Supervisors.

All indications are - Laurie Smith is the wrong person as Sheriff in one of California’s biggest and most important county. She should resign.

From the PA Weekly....

>"A Santa Clara County grand jury indictment has brought accusations that staff in Sheriff Laurie Smith's inner sanctum have awarded gun permits in exchange for political contributions, the sheriff's office confirmed Friday."

>"The manager of an executive protection company, AS Solution Inc., allegedly received the gun permits for his executive protection agents in exchange for a $90,000 bribe to Smith's reelection campaign between April 2018 and August 2019. Multiple people, including a local gun parts manufacturer and an attorney, were also indicted."

^ This does not look good for the current Santa Clara County Sheriff or her department.

Politics as usual + systemic departmental CORRUPTION?

Connect the dots & the truth will reveal itself.

Sounds like there needs to be a new sheriff in town.

Sounds like a job for Sheriff Bart and the Waco Kid.

This incident has now made the national news & some concur that the alleged bribery scam could have been averted IF California had 'open carry' laws as in the majority of the United States...which includes rural & urban/suburban areas.

2nd Amendment debates aside, I am somewhat curious...(1) outside of various law enforcement agencies & international spies, who really needs to keep a concealed firearm on their person AND (2) would 'open carry' laws pretty much eliminate the necessity of carrying a concealed firearm as everyone would now be 'watching their back' as an everyday precaution?

According to the Monrovia Weekly (a town outside of Pasadena, CA)....

"Five states, California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and South Carolina, as well as the District of Columbia, prohibit people from openly carrying handguns in public places. Thirty-one states allow the open carrying of a handgun without any license or permit, although in some cases the gun must be unloaded."

So far as I can tell, the only people for whom a concealed-carry permit makes sense are bodyguards for high-profile individuals. There are a few in Palo Alto.

For the rest of us, the tradeoffs are completely not worth it. The increased risk of suicide or accident means that you and your family are safer if you lock up your guns and ammo separately, bringing them together only when heading out to the range or to hunt.

>"So far as I can tell, the only people for whom a concealed-carry permit makes sense are bodyguards for high-profile individuals. There are a few in Palo Alto."

^ None that I am aware of....the last time I checked.

>"...you and your family are safer if you lock up your guns and ammo separately, bringing them together only when heading out to the range or to hunt."

^ Concurring...but interesting to note that 4 of the 5 states (including the District of Columbia) that prohibit the 'open carry' of firearms also have the highest crime rates.

Curious...is packing 'heat' a crime deterrent of its own accord? Folks that I have spoken to from Colorado & Idaho seem to believe so.

When's my next opportunity to vote Sheriff Smith out?

In an editorial dated September 23, 2020, the San Jose Mercury called for Sheriff Smith's resignation...and then a month later, her second in command was indicted (following the others) in this 'pay to play' scheme.

Fingers are starting to point higher up the food chain.

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