Bakersfield Californian 2013/05/18: Kern's image may be taking a hit

Bakersfield Californian (5/18 2013): Kern's image may be taking a hit

The death of a man in custody following a prolonged struggle with Kern County Sheriff's deputies and CHP officers and the subsequent fracas over confiscated witness cellphones have gained international attention and raised concerns here that the incidents could tarnish the county's emerging reputation as a desirable place to live, visit and do business.​

[And trust me, it isn't going away. This web site is already on the first page of Google hits for a number of related searches and names, and I've barely just begun. Anyone who thinks the issues are just going to disappear after your deputies and jailers have beaten three people to death and sexually assaulted women in their homes are mistaken.

The quote below epitomizes the "Good Old Boy" era that is about to end:]

"Nobody in Kern County gives a damn what New York thinks. They don't give a damn what Canada thinks," former Kern County Sheriff Carl Sparks said Friday. He asserted that county residents are used to withstanding far-flung criticism of their air quality, heat and conservatism.​

[Deputy Dog Sparks was Kern County Sheriff from 1991 to 2003. It's a safe bet that he did much to train and mentor the current ineffectual occupant of the same office, and the results are pathetically obvious.]

On more point in regard to this part of the editorial:

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

The county supervisors control the sheriff's purse strings and are empowered to pass ordinances governing the conduct of county employees. They can't directly manage the sheriff's office, but they can budget for the purchase of body cameras and mandate their use by ordinance.

If everyone just throws up his or her arms & shrugs & looks dumb as Donny, nothing will improve.

At this point Donny's rogues have been responsible for five questionable deaths, including three fatal beatdowns. How many people will die needlessly before the situation is finally brought under control?