Pubdate: Fri, 20 Apr 2001
Source: Times-News, The (ID)
Copyright: 2001 Magic Valley Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.magicvalley.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/595

REACH FOR YOUR WALLETS, JEROME CO. TAXPAYERS

A Jan. 3 sheriff's raid that left three men dead in Eden is fading from 
public memory. Calls for accountability also are fading, and the final act 
of this tragedy is about to unfold.

A $10 million lawsuit has been filed against Jerome County by survivors of 
one of the dead men. It may go to trial, but a more likely outcome is that 
the county's insurance carrier will settle the case out of court. Hundreds 
of thousands -- perhaps millions -- of dollars would change hands, but the 
details would be hidden by a confidential settlement.

Confidential settlement. Sounds pretty official, doesn't it?

What it really means is that Jerome County taxpayers won't know what hit 
them. After paying the settlement, the county's insurance carrier would 
begin charging Jerome County more for insurance. That means county 
taxpayers would have to dig a little deeper in their wallets.

How much isn't known. It could be a lot or a little.

That could get expensive, particularly if the settlement exceeds liability 
limits in the county's insurance policy. Any amount over the policy limit 
would, presumably, be paid by county taxpayers.

Jerome County taxpayers should be questioning this arrangement. Few people 
are asking Sheriff Jim Weaver to explain why a drug raid -- one that he 
organized and led -- ended in the deaths of two of his deputies and Eden 
homeowner Tim Williams.

Are these deaths little more than collateral damage in the war on drugs? 
Remember, the Jan. 3 raid netted about $30 worth of marijuana at a cost of 
three lives. Is that acceptable?

Weaver isn't saying. He's staying quiet, burnishing his reputation as a 
drug fighter, and waiting for the whole Eden episode to fade away.

He doesn't have to explain anything, because there's no formal mechanism to 
hold him accountable for the botched raid. A few of Williams' friends have 
launched a recall petition against Weaver, but at least one of them has a 
drug record -- which is an enormous political handicap. By themselves, they 
are unlikely to unseat the sheriff.

Support from community leaders is essential if the recall drive is to gain 
momentum. No conservative leader wants to second-guess a sheriff who is 
tough on drugs, but all fiscal conservatives should question why this hasty 
and ill-planned raid cost three lives.

Now it may cost some money, too.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D