Douglas County Sheriff Candidate Dave Brady: Our Quality of Life is Being Threatened

South Tahoe Now sent a questionnaire out to all of the candidates for Douglas County Sheriff. We will be posting them in the order received. This is the second of three to be received.

1. What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department?

What is lacking within the department currently is a strategy to deliver public safety services in a smarter and more efficient manner. To that end, as part of our action plan, we intend on conducting an operational audit to examine the departments’ organizational structure and culture, compare the state of the department to industry standards and best practices, increase efficiency, identify workloads, and recommend appropriate staffing.

Further, we will develop a Strategic Plan to examine and identify the needs of the organization and the community, create a vision, engage in financial planning, and develop an approach to address the opportunities and goals established during the entire process.

2. What are your qualifications for the job as Sheriff?

The role of the sheriff is to provide leadership, vision and direction to the organization and its membership. I have had multiple career experiences in leadership roles, and will bring leadership skill sets to the position that have been developed and exercised over the past 30 years, in both the public and private sector.

My education is appropriate for the position, in that I have a Masters of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs, both from the University of Southern California.

When you consider the paradigm shift in local government finance over the past seven years, and the need to align expenditures with declining revenue, I am well prepared to address the continuing challenge, considering my background in finance, banking and financial planning.
I will bring proven leadership experience, energy and passion to the position that is currently needed.

3. If you had $500,000 unrestricted funds donated to the department for anything but salaries, what would you spend it on?

First and foremost, the monies would be used to implement our Action Plan as follows:

I would retain the International County/City Managers Association (ICMA) to conduct an operational audit of the entire department that would review the allocation of financial resources, identify inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement, as well as provide recommendations to enhance the overall delivery of services to the residents of the County.
Secondly, following the audit, we will develop a strategic plan that will provide a vision for the future, and a strategy to address the needs identified from the audit, as well as the feedback received from the community. The plan will include a “needs analysis” that examines various aspects of the operation such as staffing, training, technology, and capital equipment needs.

Finally, we will use the funds to seek national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). This process will enhance our delivery of public safety services, strengthen accountability, increase community advocacy, and foster professional excellence.

Any and all additional monies will be earmarked to address the present and future needs identified through the action planning process.

4. What do you currently see as the biggest threat to the safety of Douglas County residents?

Our quality of life is being threatened on a daily basis by the growing presence of drug use in our community. A majority of crimes committed are drug related, whether it be a drunk driving offense or a burglary to support a drug habit.

We need to recognize the problem exists, and develop strategies to address the impact this has on our community and our children. Comprehensive collaboration between law enforcement agencies, social services and community groups is necessary to combat the drug element in our County.

5. What sets you apart from the other candidates for Sheriff? What can you bring to the office that they cannot?

I consider myself uniquely qualified for the position of Sheriff, due to my broad based background, advanced education, extensive training and work experience, in both the public and private sector.

Previous positions have included President of the Douglas County School Board and Vice- Chair of the Douglas County Commission. In the private sector, I was on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the Greater Nevada Credit Union. I am a Certified Financial Planner, and currently am President of Brady & Associates, a financial services firm.

I have 25 years of street level experience in law enforcement, which includes eight years as a police officer in the city of Redondo Beach, two years as a financial investigator for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and fifteen years as a reserve deputy sheriff for DCSO.

I will bring a fresh and multidimensional perspective, as well as strong analytical skills in finance, budgeting, public administration, organizational development and leadership to the position.

As important, I am the only candidate who has developed a strategy and action plan for the department. As mentioned earlier, I intend on conducting an operational audit to determine where the organization can be more efficient, and reduce the cost structure where appropriate. We will develop a strategic plan to identify the needs of both the department and the community.

We will also seek national accreditation for the organization through the Commission on Accreditation For Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) Such participation will improve service delivery, strengthen crime prevention efforts, and formalize essential management procedures.

Finally, I have announced that Steve Orr will join our management team as undersheriff following a successful election. Steve served in DCSO for 26 years and achieved the rank of Captain prior to becoming the Chief of Police in Lewiston, Idaho in 2008.

I believe we will provide a “value added” proposition to the taxpayers and residents of Douglas County with our extensive leadership experience and operational expertise.