When Mary Whitaker was killed in her summer home a few months ago, her alleged murderers were caught quickly.

One reason they were found so quickly was the presence of the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department’s mobile command unit, which provides a rolling dispatch center and conference room at crime scenes or disaster scenes. The ability to get information found at the crime scene out to other police units quickly is one reason Whitaker’s attackers were removed from the streets before they had the opportunity to do more harm. The best part is no local tax money had to be used for such equipment because Sheriff Joseph Gerace found grant funding.

It is the sort of work the public has come to expect from Gerace in his 20 years as sheriff and the sort of work that should be rewarded with another four years as Sheriff for Gerace.

Gerace, endorsed by the Democratic, Independence and Conservative parties, is running for re-election against Russell Payne of Frewsburg, endorsed by the Republican Party. Payne is a third-generation police officer and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. Payne worked for the Jamestown Police Department from 1973 to 1993, is a former private investigator who worked for the state for 15 years and has worked as a teaching assistant at BOCES.

The campaign between the men, limited as it has been, has centered on Payne’s proposal to implement central police services in Chautauqua County, spending in the Sheriff’s Department and Payne’s pledge to work to repeal the SAFE Act. We would have liked the opportunity to put more meat on the bones of Payne’s proposals, but he pulled out of two League of Women Voters’ debates and his schedule made a debate with the OBSERVER too late in the process to be feasible.

Payne’s main campaign focuses raise serious questions. Few in Chautauqua County like the SAFE Act, but changes or a repeal of the law are legislative matters. A sheriff is, by definition, a law enforcement position elected to enforce the law, not to write the law.

For Payne to publicly say that he will not enforce any unconstitutional law that infringes on the Second and Fourth Amendment rights of Chautauqua County citizens is an improper stance for a law enforcement official.

It is just as improper for Payne to say he will use the power of the sheriff’s office to fight the legal battles needed to have laws, such as the SAFE Act, repealed. Such actions belong in the state Assembly race between Andrew Goodell and Barrie Yochim, not in the race for sheriff.

Further, Payne has misrepresented Gerace’s position by saying publicly Gerace “is in favor of the SAFE Act.”

Payne is right when he says Gerace’s position favors some parts of the law while rejecting others, but Payne conveniently forgets the parts of the law that most concerns gun owners are the parts in which Gerace stands opposed.

For the record, Gerace has been consistent in his position on the SAFE Act since it became law in January 2013. Gerace said the law is correct to limit freedom of information requests regarding pistol permit holders, harsher penalties for the killing of first responders, background checks for private sales of guns, except between immediate family; and a comprehensive review of mental health records before firearm permits are granted. Gerace, and the state Sheriff’s Association, expressed concern over definitions of assault weapons, which Gerace said prevents the possession of many weapons that are legitimately used for hunting, target shooting and self defense. Gerace and his fellow sheriffs’ opposed recertification of pistol permits and registration of assault weapons and with the reduction in the amount of bullets in a magazine.

Payne’s proposal to implement centralized policing is problematic for two reasons. First is Payne’s description of creating another layer of government which would have its own line item in the county budget – the very epitome of making government bigger rather than making government more efficient. The second problem is central policing’s inherent inflexibility to respond to crises. There are multiple SWAT teams in Chautauqua County for a very simple reason; having one SWAT team in one location means response times will be poor for some areas of the county. Three SWAT teams means no area of the county is out of reach when SWAT is needed. Payne’s central policing idea is too half-baked to merit serious consideration.

Chautauqua County faces serious crime issues. Joseph Gerace has shown, over 20 years, he is capable of handling those serious issues. Gerace deserves your vote on Nov. 4 for another four years as Chautauqua County sheriff.