Letter: Lattin the clear choice for sheriff

I think we have a very clear candidate that deserves our vote for sheriff, and that is Ken Lattin. Ken is a lifelong Tri-Cities resident and has been working in local law enforcement for 28 years. He has the leadership skills and the fresh ideas to make Benton County a better place.

One of the goals of the sheriff should be to come up with ways to reduce the number of people returning to jail and understand that with reduced crime and strong crime prevention measures comes strong economic development. Ken has good ideas and is committed to the residents of Benton County.

Finally, I believe that the top law enforcement official in the county must have complete transparency and unquestionable integrity. Ken Lattin has both. According to a Tri-City Herald article, “In 2003 Jerry Hatcher was removed as Benton County undersheriff after two years by Sheriff Larry Taylor and demoted to lieutenant following an internal personnel issue. He left the department and did private security work, before being rehired by Sheriff Steve Keane.”

Is this someone we want as our next top law enforcement official in the county? My vote will be for Ken Lattin. So should yours.

This story was originally published August 28, 2017 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Letter: Lattin the clear choice for sheriff."