Tax no ‘duty,’ but it’s in officers' best interest

Employees of Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis have no “duty” to support a sales tax increase on the November ballot that will support a new jail and safety programs, but it would obviously be in their self interest to do so.

The “no duty” reminder will be in the mail, courtesy of a lawsuit settlement between the sheriff and tax opponent Jeff Capell. Capell sued after the sheriff, in an excess of zeal, sent his employees a letter saying they did have a duty to support the tax. That was wrong; they have no “duty” to support anything but the law.

But the county does need the new jail and supporting programs. Anyone in law enforcement, particularly those in the sheriff’s office who work in the existing lockups, ought to be able to see how a new facility with better conditions and programs designed to treat prisoners with mental problems and keep others from reoffending should understand the benefits of this proposed tax.

The tax opponents who forced the sheriff into the “no duty” letter settlement had the law on their side. But they suffered their own excess of zeal in pursuing this particular fight. The recipients of these letters should think long and hard about what this tax could mean to their own well-being when it comes to on-the-job safety.