Last week’s article in The Aegis titled, “Cassilly proposes ‘fully funding’ public education, sheriff’s office” misrepresented this year’s proposed budget. It failed to highlight the extent of the harm caused by County Executive Bob Cassilly’s decisions, inaccurately portraying him as having funded the sheriff’s office at levels consistent with the last salary study conducted by our office. He has not. The article also created the false impression that Mr. Cassilly prioritized the safety and needs of our men and women by ensuring they have the necessary equipment to perform their duties effectively and safely. Unfortunately, this is not the case under Mr. Cassilly’s administration.

On the capital budget front, and despite overwhelming public and County Council support, the Central Precinct and Training Academy remains stalled again in this year’s budget, with no plan to move forward from Cassilly. He has also failed to fund the sheriff’s office’s needed upgrade to our taser, body camera and in-car camera programs to ensure our deputies are equipped with the most up-to-date and effective non-lethal use of force tools available. And nowhere is Mr. Cassilly’s lack of support for law enforcement more evident than, in a time when protests and civil unrest are on the rise, Mr. Cassilly’s refusal to even fund a modest $122,000 request to replace outdated and expired riot helmets to protect our men and women. It is clear that Bob Cassilly does not want to ensure our deputies have better tools and equipment to more safely perform their dangerous duties.

It’s a sad coincidence that the dollar amount needed for riot helmets or updated taser requests is similar to what Mr. Cassilly has spent to purchase 12 drones for the Department of Emergency Services (DES), apparently from a company whose CEO’s father is one of Cassilly’s major campaign donors. By his own admission, DES does not need 12 drones, and Mr. Cassilly has stated that he will give them to his other departments, private fire companies and municipal police departments, which would be in direct conflict with the information presented to the Board of Estimates to justify the initial purchase. It is shameful that Mr. Cassilly chooses to mislead through creative wording in his budget messaging to paint a picture that he supports law enforcement and corrections, but the reality of his budget actions over the past three years tells an entirely different story.

Lastly, it’s troubling that Mr. Cassilly has once again excluded the sheriff’s office from key budget discussions — a pattern throughout his three years as county executive. Despite claiming to prioritize public safety, his actions consistently undermine the vital services the sheriff’s office provides to Harford County. This contradiction between rhetoric and reality cannot be ignored.

Jeffrey Gahler is the Harford County sheriff.