Backers of Deputy’s View of Gays, Columnist’s View of Deputy

Words written by a columnist and recently published in your paper took exception with the words written by another person. These two individuals were exercising their inalienable right to freedom of expression as guaranteed them by the Constitution of the United States. It just so happens that the author your columnist took exception with is a law enforcement officer and a member of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The columnist goes to great lengths to express his opinion regarding the fitness of this individual to perform his professional duties. This author was not on duty at the time he drafted his article. He wrote the article specifically for publication in a magazine printed by an organization completely separate from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The author was stating his personal Christian views.

While reading the words written by your columnist, I, like everyone else who read them, interpreted their meaning. Perhaps my interpretation is in error, but I got the distinct impression that in the midst of the columnist’s opinion regarding this individual, he seemed to expand his interpretation to accuse all the men and women of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department of professional misconduct. Your columnist does this without offering any specific information regarding any allegations of misconduct committed by any on-duty member of this department.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is made up of dedicated men and women whose performance and conduct on duty is governed by the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, their oath of office, and the departmental policies and procedures. All of these require our officers to treat everyone equitably, regardless of age, race, religion or sexual persuasion. While off duty, however, these men and women enjoy the right to harbor and express their personal beliefs and preferences.

BRAD GATES, Sheriff-Coroner, County of Orange