I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Sheriff Gary S. Borders for many years.  It is during this time that I have come to learn of his dedication to this agency and his genuine concerns for the employees and citizens alike.  My initial reaction to this website was that it was a great opportunity for employees to offer their support to the Sheriff in his bid for election in 2008.  However, the more I think about this, I have a reaction of WOW......these are line officers who have put together this website and written to express their support for their boss.  These Deputy Sheriffs are writing for reasons far greater than just supporting him, they BELIEVE in Sheriff Borders.  In recent elections, I have found that line officers rarely become involved in the political aspect of the office, however that is not the case now.  Sheriff Borders assumed his role as Sheriff during a difficult time and has worked extremely hard to prove himself to the troops.  He has been successful.

"Together we can reach the heights of excellence and perform the extraordinary."  Sheriff Borders, thank you for being a true leader.

Chip Ray
Sergeant
Lake County Sheriff's Office

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I have worked for the Lake County Sheriff's Office for just over six years and I have never seen the morale as high as it is now.  Sheriff Borders has given us the equipment needed to keep our citizens safe and for us to better do our job.  Sheriff Borders is the kind of guy that will do anything for you and is willing to help out, no matter what it takes.  All I can say is keep Borders as Sheriff  and you will not be disappointed in the quality of leadership that he will provide.

Johnny Webb
Deputy Sheriff
Lake County Sheriff's Office

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I support Sheriff Borders and praise him for his dedicated leadership.  The care that Sheriff Borders has for his employees as well as the citizens of Lake County is unsurpassed.  Thank you for who you are and all that you do for this agency and county.

Todd R. English
Sergeant
Lake County Sheriff's Office

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We are fortunate to have Sheriff Gary Borders as the leader of the LCSO.  He embodies the attributes of great leadership which include an unwavering commitment to those who work with him, thoughtful and decisive actions that demonstrate maturity and wisdom, a compassionate regard for others, and a dedication to law enforcement that is not stained by politics.

During the past year Sheriff Borders has lead this agency of over 700 employees through the tragic loss of Sheriff Chris Daniels. He instituted policy and direction that established a strong foundation for our future direction and brought stability to uncertain times.  Few men could have guided such a large agency as successfully during the difficult days we have faced, yet Sheriff Borders rose to the occasion and has succeeded with excellence. As I think about the exceptional job done by Sheriff Borders I am reminded of the scripture in Proverbs 12:3 “A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.”

President Ronald Reagan once spoke of America with words that I would like to borrow and slightly modify to describe our sheriff office. “The best days of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office are yet to come. Our proudest moments are yet to be.”

Without reservation I support Gary Borders as our current and future Sheriff. 

Mark Douglas
Chaplain
Lake County Sheriff's Office

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I have been employed at the Lake County Sheriff's Office for 10 years. I started out in the jail and then moved on to road patrol after 2 1/2 years of working for  Sheriff Gary Borders.  When I went for my first interview I told him my goal of wanting to work out on the road as a deputy sheriff.  He told me then if I gave him 2 good years he would recommend me for the road when a position became available.  During that same interview while being shown around the jail he told me how when he enters area of the jail that a Corrections Officer is in charge of he is not the one in charge, the Officer is.  He leaves his title at the door and is under the direction of the Officer when it came to inmate contact and answering questions.  This is done so not to undermine the authority of the officer in charge.  I witnessed this occur many times in my tenure at the jail.  This is not to say that if he witnessed something wrong that it would not be corrected, but it would not be done so as to put the Officer in a questionable position with the inmates that were being supervised.  Anyone who has ever worked for anyone would see the value in working for such a leader and that is just the type of leader Sheriff Gary Borders is.
 
Don't take this as meaning he would not hand down punishment if necessary.  Even if you were the best worker in the entire department and you put him in the position of having to terminate you, he would.  It takes a true leader to step in an area with subordinates and let them be in charge of you while you are in their area, but that is exactly what a leader should do.  It gives confidence to the people to do their jobs even if the "boss" is present.  A person who has confidence in the ability to do the job, makes fewer mistakes and in the end cost less to supervise and employ.  That leadership style defines Sheriff Gary Borders.
 
The people who have worked for Sheriff Gary Borders when they worked at the jail use to explain this to everyone else who had not worked for him, why they were so impressed with him.  But now that everyone has had the opportunity to see this man lead a whole department, they relish in the fact that he is such a GREAT LEADER of this department.  We have the best sheriffs office in the state by far, deputies are making better decisions on a daily basis due to the leadership of Sheriff Gary Borders.  In the past when a tough decision had to be made you worried that you would get your head on the chopping block, you made your decision but with fear.  No more fear if you make a decision, thanks to the leadership of Sheriff Gary Borders.
 
He ran a jail that had a budget bigger than most sheriffs office in this state and with more officers and employees than most.  Did you hear of the problems that beset most jails, no you did not. The reason why is due to the leadership of Sheriff Gary Borders.  He is the only man for this job by far, no one compares to him in this race to become the Sheriff of Lake County.

To the citizens of Lake County, understand that this Sheriffs Office deserves to have Sheriff Gary Borders as the Sheriff. He is the only man for this position.
 
Joe Schlabach
Deputy Sheriff
Lake County Sheriff's Office

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I have been employed by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for the past 21 years.  Since Sheriff Borders has “taken the reins,” the progression of the agency as a whole is more than evident.  For example:  Former Sheriff’s have held unfilled Uniform Patrol positions open which have been budgeted for and funded by County Commission.  However, at the same time, “Specialty Unit” positions were filled.  At times up to 21 Deputy Sheriff positions were open.  Under Sheriff Borders, this is the closest I have seen the agency come to having all funded sworn Law Enforcement positions filled.  This increases the safety of the men and women answering calls for service by simply having more Deputies per shift.  It also benefits the citizens of the county by providing the Law Enforcement services they already pay for.  Finally, Uniform Patrol is being staffed with priority over Specialty Units !  This increased manpower is reflected in the recent reporting of a 10% reduction in major crimes countywide.  

Sheriff Borders is also the first Sheriff I’ve worked for who responds alongside Deputies to calls for service.  It’s certainly not unusual for him to show up on the scene of a call, regardless of the nature, at late night or early morning hours.  Thanks Sheriff Borders for caring enough to Lead the Way !

Just to reiterate previous postings on this site, the morale of employees is at an all time high.  It definitely needs to continue in this direction.

Chuck Theobald
Deputy Sheriff
Lake County Sheriff's Office

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As a lifetime resident of Lake County, an involved member of the community, and one who candidly possesses a significant amount of knowledge of the qualities needed to be a truly effective Sheriff, I believe that Gary Borders possesses and displays those qualities and leadership traits that make him the demonstrative example of today’s modern Sheriff.

The mission of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is to provide the very best law enforcement, correctional facility and court support services possible to the citizens of Lake County. In order to accomplish the mission the Sheriff must be a man with integrity and experience, not just in law enforcement, but in all aspects of overseeing the 58 million dollar not for profit organization we refer to as the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.   Being the Sheriff is much more that just being a “Great Cop”, rather it’s about being a great leader; a leader of professional men and women who have dedicated themselves to making a difference.   

Sheriff Borders possesses decades of the very best kind of leadership; leadership by example.   In his 25 plus years of practical experience, most as a member of the Sheriff’s Office, he has been responsible for millions of dollars of the public money in the operation of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Correctional Facility.  As such he has experienced first hand every kind of problem that could arise when you have a multi-million dollar budget, hundreds of employees and your mission is to serve and protect the public.  The lifetime of experience that Sheriff Borders has cannot simply be gained by reading a book-one must, to truly understand it-live it.  Sheriff Borders remains today responsible for the hundreds who work at the Sheriff’s office.

Sheriff Borders has been being consistently recognized for his leadership abilities. Prior to horrific event of October 2006 Borders was selected as the Chief Deputy of the LCSO.  Thereafter, he was appointed by the Governor to be the Sheriff.   

Education is, and was always intended to be an ongoing process. I ask you:  Who is more highly educated- the 18 year old whose mommy and daddy sent  off  to college to spend 4 years with their friends to get a degree and thereafter the education ended,  or the professional, who during the course of his career recognizes the importance of formal education and, on his own, dedicates a significant portion of his life in obtaining that degree.  Professionals like Sheriff Borders continue to strive daily to learn more and better ways to accomplish the mission.  The Sheriff knows the importance of formal education. He knows and understands that when you have the practical leadership experience combined with education, practical and formal, that the people get the experienced leaders they deserve.   

However, most importantly, Sheriff Borders knows and understands the principle that  “integrity does matter.”

Thus, my question to the informed voter remains:  What else would you want in a Sheriff that Gary Borders doesn’t already possess and demonstrate on a daily basis in the performance of his duties as the Sheriff of Lake County. 

I encourage you to do your part in maintaining the stability of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and support Gary Borders in his efforts to continue to serve as our Sheriff.   

Charles "Chuck" D. Johnson
Attorney / Citizen of Lake County

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Sheriff Borders has served the citizens of Lake County for nearly 20 years while holding top-level leadership positions and managing a multi-million dollar budget.  The Sheriff's Office has gone through very turbulent times recently and dealt with a great deal of uncertainty and low morale.  Since Sheriff Borders has been in Office he has provided the stability and support this agency needed to get back on its feet.  Now, your Lake County Sheriff’s Office is back to being a top-notch law enforcement agency with a clearly defined mission of providing crime prevention, law enforcement and judicial support services to our citizens.  Sheriff Borders has placed a high priority on pro-active law enforcement by responding to citizen’s issues by increasing the all ready high level of visible patrols and assigning deputies to areas of concern in an effort to curb illegal activity.  Sheriff Borders has shown his ability to lead a professional agency and has a basic principle of how to serve the public that he passes onto his deputies “Respond to each call and treat each person on that call as you would want your own family member treated”.  Sheriff Borders has the knowledge, experience and personal values that are highly sought after in a Sheriff.

Keep up the good work!

Mike Miller
Deputy Sheriff
Lake County Sheriff’s Office

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