Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren made news this week on two fronts. First, he flatly told this writer yesterday that his “health is good” and he’ll be running for re-election in 2020. And his wife Penny is “in full agreement.” Second, he released a timely and passionate letter supporting President Donald Trump’s proposal for a southwestern border wall and other homeland security measures.
His first statement will obviously please the Republican Party in Georgia’s third largest county, since its leaders have worried that the popular incumbent wouldn’t run again— especially since Democrats intend to field a sheriff’s candidate. His second statement underscores the veteran lawman’s longtime concern over “the intentional indifference of those who are more interested in their personal political agenda than our public safety needs.”
As the first Georgia sheriff during the Bush administration to initiate the 287(g) program that partnered with the feds in arresting, holding and assisting with the deportation of illegal alien criminals, he wrote that he is “painfully aware of the continuing loss of American lives and the escalating numbers of overdoses and drug-related deaths caused by members of Congress refusing to fund border security initiatives.”
“This is not about party affiliation,” Warren writes. “This is about ongoing threats to the residents of our communities. My fellow sheriffs and I have our boots on the ground focused on the decline in the quality of life of our communities.”
The sheriff’s letter specifically targeted the Congress: “I stand united with my brothers and sisters in demanding that you immediately pass legislation to fund the wall and make the safety and welfare of American citizens your top priority.”
