Opinion
In 29 years of law enforcement I have never seen an incident generate so much discussion, and consequently, so much concern for many citizens. The only problem with the discussion is that much of it has revolved around inaccurate sound-bites that served to evoke an emotional response. Even the most supportive citizen can become concerned when this kind of information is circulated repeatedly without confirmation of – or challenge to – its accuracy.
Of course, this department could do neither before the matter was resolved in the court. Now that the Dinius case has concluded, I want to assure that the public has accurate answers to their questions about this department’s involvement in the investigation.
It is my intention to release this department’s entire case file as a PDF on our Web site for the public’s review. Obviously very few citizens will have the time to read through a voluminous record like this. But those same people may have important questions about their Sheriff’s Department’s role in the investigation and they deserve answers to those questions. It will take a few days to get the PDF created but I will have it posted the moment that it is ready.
On Aug. 18, as closing arguments were being made in the Dinius case, I began coordinating with three people to assist with collecting questions from the public. The reason for using outside parties to collect and sort the questions is to allay concerns that we would choose only the questions to which we prefer to respond. This working group will include:
Elizabeth Larson, Editor and Publisher of www.lakeconews.com : I have asked Elizabeth to chair this committee because she is well known for being an unbiased collector of facts.
Phil Murphy, pear farmer from Kelseyville: I have asked Phil to serve on this committee because he is known as a citizen with a strong will, and a healthy skepticism of many aspects of government – including me and my department.
Helen Whitney, former county supervisor from District 1 and community volunteer: Helen is known as a fair and independent person who truly cares about this county and I wanted to assure that the south county was represented in this working group too.
This committee will review the questions to assure that they are relevant to our department. They will also synthesize multiple questions about the same topic or issue and assure that the questions represent the scope and the breadth of our involvement in this case.
Please send your questions to:
It is my duty to take every step necessary to fulfill our mission – SECURE THE PUBLIC’S TRUST. Transparency is an important part of that process. It is also my obligation to ensure that the members of this department are able to function effectively. They are both community members and service providers who must operate secure in the knowledge that the general public maintains confidence in them.
As a person who has responded to many tragedies, I know the impact that they can have on all parties involved.
Public safety officers often conduct a “debriefing” after a critical incident. This is a process of providing clarity where there are questions and healing where there are wounds. Asking and answering questions is a very important part of that process.
The fatal boat crash was a tragedy for all parties involved and for the many people who know and love them. The aftermath of this particular tragedy has made this a critical incident for the broader community as well.
Through this process we are inviting you to participate in a community wide debriefing of this critical incident and I look forward to the opportunity to answer your questions.
Rodney K. Mitchell is Lake County's sheriff, coroner and Office of Emergency Services director.
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- Written by: Sheriff Rodney K. Mitchell
This also has to be the charge of our community. We need to make sure that we give our children our time, energy and support.
The local service clubs have been very generous to our youth and have made them as a priority. Many adults in our neighborhoods have provided assistance to the our youth through Youth Football, the South Shore Little League, the Konocti Basketball League, Youth Soccer, The Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, FFA, clogging classes, the skate park and church youth groups through their church – just to name a few.
These are the activities that create wonderful memories and help our children grow. We need to continue these efforts more than ever because “every kid counts.”
The Konocti Unified School District has embarked upon a concept of “neighborhood schools.” These schools are the “hub” of their neighborhoods providing intellectual enrichment and assistance to our kids, as well as, athletics, music, art and family activities.
Our budget is balanced and we have kept our dedicated teachers and support staff. We have the maintained our small class sizes in kindergarten, first, second and third grades. We have preserved our classroom music program in the primary grades and the band and drama programs for seventh and eighth graders.
The After School Opportunity programs will still be available to for students needing academic assistance. We have planned a full intramural athletic program that will involve more students than ever before and include county-wide competitions. We’ve done this because “every kid counts.”
Our children deserve the best experience that our community can provide. We need our parents, grandparents, foster parents and caregivers to make sure that their kid makes it to school daily. This is a key to making sure our kids get what they need.
Good attendance means missing no more than one day per month or being present at least 95 percent of the time. National research proves that less than 95 percent attendance is the break point at which a student starts to fall behind and disparities in learning begin to appear.
If our students don’t have good attendance, they miss out and so do the schools which lose the funding needed to continue the programs. We took the chance, kept the programs and we are counting on our kids coming to school.
We are all connected. If the students don’t come to school, we lose the programs. If we lose the programs, people will be less inclined to move into our community or they will leave to communities that have more to offer. If people leave, our businesses cannot prosper.
We are tied together and we can either do what it takes to create neighborhoods and communities that flourish or we can watch the whole thing slowly fall apart.
I love this community. It has given me the opportunity to serve others and has given me a clear purpose in life. The friends and family I have made here over the past 20 years are the most valued things in my life. This community has taught me that helping others flourish is tremendously important and satisfying.
Let’s join together, volunteer at a school, help a kid, and in turn, help yourself because we know that every kid counts.
Dr. William R. MacDougall, Ed.D., is in his first year as Konocti Unified School District's superintendent. He writes periodic updates with community members to let them know the state of the district.
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- Written by: Dr. William MacDougall
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