Northwest Indiana Discussion

I had an interesting and troubling experience with WJOB today.

Paul Haluska, who works for Sheriff Roy Dominguez, was on to talk about a program he heads to provide help mainly to woman involved in domestic violence situations who need help in filing for protective orders.

I have long been concerned with the growth of the Sheriff's Department, and expressed that to Dominguez several months ago.

The Sheriff's Department is already the biggest budget in Lake County, I believe. My concern is that as the sheriff expands his duties into cities like Hammond, we don't see a corresponding reduction in those local budgets.

So law enforcement continues to consume an ever growing share of our resources. We are all familiar with the need to cut spending at the same time.

So i called Haluska to ask if his program wasn't duplicating local efforts. I knew the Hammond PD had a victim advocate on duty who does the same sort of work.

You would have thought I wa slamming motherhood, God, and Santa Claus by the calls that followed.Even Dominguez called with that old chestnut "If we save one life, it's worth it even if we have double or triple duplication."

A very angry guy named Dave said I need to go to Haven House and learn what domestic violence is. Of course as a female of my advanced age I have some idea what it is all about.

Alexis Dedelow, a lawyer who is co-owner of WJOB and married to host Jim Dedelow, called to say the Hammond PD is eliminating itsa advocate position in May. I'm sorry to hear that.

But my point is, it seems to me that is just about impossible to discuss public safety budgets without this sort of thing happening. Not a good thing, IMO, unless we are all willing to declare right now that we are willing to spend ALL our resources for public safety without question.

I'm not.



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Now you see why some of us have had issues with Roy for some time now. That sounds like a legitimate question from your description so I cannot fathom why it would evoke such a response unless there's something sinister afoot.

You would have thought I was slamming motherhood, God, and Santa Claus by the calls that followed. Even Dominguez called with that old chestnut "If we save one life, it's worth it even if we have double or triple duplication."

What a cop out! That's liberal speak for "Yea it costs too much but what ya gonna do about it?" In practice we always make trade-offs on cost vs effectiveness. Someone should have told that to the Congress when it drug it's heels over supplying enough Kevlar armor to protect our soldiers, just to cite one example.

Among other charities I contribute to womens' shelters right out of my payroll deduction so it's not that I oppose such programs. But claiming there are never enough duplicate efforts for a single issue when there are so many equally as worthy concerns on the taxpayer tab reeks of something fishy. Yes, indeed feel free to contribute your personal donations wherever you care to but vicious attacks on anyone daring to question the legitimacy or need of taxpayer dollars being spent is but a bullying tactic to protect a sacred cow. Were I in a position to do so I would call for an audit of such an organization's finances. Something obviously isn't right there.