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. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D