Column: Sheriff Roundtree takes credit but not blame for shooting

I was dismayed to see Sheriff Richard Roundtree give his impromptu press conference about the shooting that happened early on June 8th. His tone was rude and his attitude lazy at best.

There is no doubt that officers did an excellent job and lives were protected. This is in no way a credit to Roundtree. These officers were not on duty. Yet Roundtree takes all the credit. The real credit goes to the agents and business owners who hired them. Downtown businesses have to hire off-duty officers because crime is out of control and the Roundtree department can't handle the crime. Go ahead, but take all the credit, Mr. Roundtree. Straight out of the political playbook. Never let a good crisis go to waste.

To make matters worse, the only tough questions came from the audience and Scott Hudson of The Augusta Press. Other news channels might as well have asked Roundtree about his favorite color or his Netflix series. After the new show Citizens on Patrol launched, I think he spent too much time watching Police Academy.

Roundtree actually said that “downtown is one of the safest parts of Richmond County.” Really? How unhealthy must the rest of Richmond County be if downtown is one of the safest areas?

It was not a simple slip of the tongue. When members of the public questioned Roundtree on the sidelines, he clearly became irritated and very dismissive of these concerns. Someone needs to remind the sheriff that it is an election year and the citizens who have concerns are the ones who will vote for sheriff in the next round. Their opinions matter.

Downtown, seemingly one of the safest neighborhoods, is in such chaos that our mayor had to contact the governor for help. Of course, Roundtree would never have the courage to call a Republican governor for help. Kudos to Mayor Garnett Johnson for having the courage to stand up and ask for help. Help is needed.

Roundtree only comes out from behind his computer to grab a donut between Netflix shows or when the GBI is in town. Hence Saturday's press conference. I'm convinced that if the GBI hadn't come or the mayor hadn't called the governor, Roundtree would have stayed in his pajamas all day dreaming about Sgt. Callahan from the Police Academy.

The gentleman who pointed out that downtown's crime problems persisted without any response from the sheriff was interrupted by Roundtree and told he was wrong. These gentlemen also stated that nothing was done until someone pulled out an assault rifle and started shooting. Roundtree interrupted again and said he disagreed with the man.

Well, Mr. Sheriff, give us some facts and figures. Give us something we can quantify to verify your claims that this is not an ongoing problem and that this isn't the first time you've done nothing publicly to try to resolve the problem. As someone who receives all the press releases from the sheriff's office, I think this man was right. All downtown merchants experienced the same problem. You call 911 and no one shows up. Or they arrive too late or do nothing once they arrive.

Yet Roundtree wants you to believe that downtown is one of the safest parts of Richmond County, that crime is not an ongoing problem there, and that it is actively tackling the problem. Well, Mr. Sheriff, I disagree. Show me some facts and figures to prove I'm wrong. I can show you crime maps by week that show that not only is downtown unsafe, but the problem is getting worse. I can show you proof that you remained silent and inactive until someone pulled out an assault rifle.

Mr. Sheriff, give the citizens, 50% of whom voted for you not to do your job, a reason to believe that downtown's problems will improve if you are re-elected for another four years. If you don't, I might start posting spoiler alerts about your favorite Netflix shows.