By Boyd Neagle
Since I announced my candidacy for Archuleta County Sheriff and began this journey with you in March, so many things have changed and come to light. I am working not just to be your Sheriff and make public safety the priority, but to also change the “good ole boy” system controlling our county government. My experience, strong leadership, and fiscal management are just a few of the skills I have that are now more important than ever to guide the Sheriff’s office in a new direction and make positive changes for all the citizens of Archuleta County.
As a young man, I learned my father had been in prison. This was quite a shock to me, because he had always encouraged my interest in law enforcement and my goal to be an officer. After the shock had worn off, I was able to speak with him about it, and asked a question that the answer would forever shape my life’s calling. Sitting there with my father, I summoned the courage to ask, “Were you guilty?”
He looked at me for a few seconds and then said, “The first time, no.”
He continued and explained that he was barely 18 and at a dance in his home town in Texas. He was a good-looking boy but from the wrong side of town; he was from a very poor sharecropping family. He was having a good time dancing with the girls from the right side of town. When he went to the restroom, he was followed by three boys from the “right” side of town. They advised him not to dance with their girls and he told them not to worry about what he did. As he attempted to leave the restroom the three jumped him and after a few minutes he walked out, leaving them on the floor. He went back to dancing and enjoying his night, but about 45 minutes later, a deputy came through the door and he was arrested. He explained that the boys from the restroom had called the sheriff’s office and claimed he had beat and robbed them in the restroom.
My father told me it was very different in the ’50s — and being from the wrong side of town, he was convicted and sentenced to 5 years in prison. He explained that set the course of his adult life, not the course he would have chosen. When he got out, jobs were scarce for a felon. He had few choices, and it took him many years to recover and be successful.
It was a hard conversation for me at the time, and that was pretty much the only time we ever talked about it. We never talked about “the other times.” I don’t think I was really ever supposed to know about any of it. He wholeheartedly supported my career choice, and maybe that was his way of finally getting over it. Having a son on the right side, doing what was right. All I can say is his life and situation had a profound effect on me and my career. I have learned that, as officers of the law, “we meet people on their worst day, and we need to be the person we needed on our worst day.”
I began my career in a small town in a county much like Archuleta, and learned the importance of community. I experienced the joy of knowing and being a part of my community, as well as its sorrows.
As a young deputy working in the county, I got to know the citizens; I served and took their public safety to heart. I know the excitement of serving and watching my fellow community members grow and prosper. I also know the sorrow that can come. I’ve responded to emergency calls for service where there’s a major vehicle accident or disturbance — pulling up to the scene, knowing the individuals involved, and praying I was in time to help and make a difference. We’ve celebrated triumphs and cried over tragedies together. This is why we do this, and work every day to make it better. To be better.
This is why I feel being a part of the community is so necessary, for our Sheriff’s office to truly be successful. It’s the investment of one’s self that produces a vested interest in the community.
I have been in law enforcement for more than 26 years and have experience in many areas that include administration, investigations, narcotics, patrol, jail, training, dispatch, security, courts, school resource, and compliance. I have supervisory experience having served as an Assistant Jail Administrator, Corporal, and a Field Training Officer. I teach at the law enforcement academy and have been an instructor for over 20 years, training hundreds of officers, and I know the importance of a well-trained staff. Over this time, I have taught numerous law enforcement courses at the academy level and in-service training.
All of these assignments and duties over the years have given me the experience and skills to bring strong leadership to the Sheriff’s office. I will be a ‘working’ Sheriff, leading from the front and passing on my experience. As John C. Maxwell so eloquently puts it “We cannot lead anyone further than we have been ourselves.”
Leadership comes from experience and doing. All the training in the world is no good without the practical experience of doing it in the real world.
In my opinion, professional leadership has been lacking in Archuleta County, and as a candidate for Archuleta County Sheriff, I am seeking your help and support. If you would like to learn more about how our community can begin turning things around, please visit https://www.facebook.com/BoydNeagleforsheriff/ and learn more about my campaign for Sheriff.
Community first, Stronger together!