Lupe Valdez for Sheriff, Dallas County, TX

Background:

I was elected Sheriff of Dallas County, Texas on November 4, 2004, to the office of the highest ranking law enforcement officer in the County of Dallas. I am the only female Sheriff in the State of Texas, and I have been in Law Enforcement for over 30 years at both the Federal and State levels.

I have worked to protect the lives and property of American citizens at home and abroad. With experience in homeland security, anti-terrorism investigations and criminal law enforcement, I am uniquely qualified in the position as Dallas County Sheriff.

I worked my way through college to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from what today is Southern Nazarene University. To do this, I sometimes had to work up to two jobs while carrying a full class schedule. These same work habits propelled my career in law enforcement. I then earned a Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Texas at Arlington.

I have also served as a board member of the City of Dallas Civil Service Adjunct Board, the Funding Panel Review of the United Way of Greater Dallas, and a mentor in the Dallas Independence School District's Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program. I am also a member of Women in Federal Law Enforcement Association, the Texas Narcotics Officer's Association, and the Hispanic Women's Network of Texas.

Goals:

I am running to complete the process of turnaround that has been begun during my first term. Over the past three years, we have moved aggressively to address the longstanding personnel, funding and institutional problems that had undermined the Department for years. Today, we are moving in the right direction, but more work needs to be done before the turnaround will be complete. Beyond my experiences as Sheriff, I have over 30 years of law enforcement experience. Prior to 2004, I was a senior agent with the Department of Homeland Security, where I worked in the Customs Bureau. I have law enforcement experience at the county and federal level, and as Sheriff I am able to leverage that experience to improve our cooperation and interaction with other law enforcement agencies.

Issues:

My top three priorities are clear, and they build upon the successes I have had during my first term as sheriff.

First, my Department has worked diligently to correct the situation we inherited regarding the Dallas County Jail, and I intend to complete that process. The only major outstanding area of non-compliance is the smoke evacuation system, which is in the process of being installed. When that installation is complete, the Jail will be ready to pass inspection.

Second, I will expand our law enforcement operations to protect the public. We've seen great success with our highway patrol programs and DWI enforcement efforts. I would like to build upon those by bringing more highway miles under the Department's authority. We will also continue to expand our join operations with local, state and federal law enforcement organizations.

Third, we will continue to be mindful of the cost of Department operations to taxpayers. During my first term, we revised our contracting system to end contracts that were shortchanging the public. In my second term, I plan to establish a medical clinic within the Jail to end the costly transportation of inmates to and from Parkland. As staffing meets required levels and our major construction problems wind down, our need for overtime work hours will wane, as well. As our cost-effectiveness improves, we will continue to protect the public.

Grassroots Support:

In utilizing every ounce available in the Dallas County coordinated campaign, and the support of DFA and other progressive organizations, my campaign will be able to do the grassroots activities that are necessary to win a contested election.

Republicans at both the local and state-wide level have expressed serious interest in ousting me from office. Therefore, it will be necessary for me to run an all out ground campaign to turn out the Democratic vote here in Dallas county.

We have plans for great mail pieces, phone campaigns, and other communication tools to get out our message of success. We also have block walks, phone banks, and other grassroots activities planned that will require every bit of support we can get. The endorsement, financial and grassroots support of Democracy for America will help put us where we need to be to run an excellent campaign.

DFA Values:

Many have said that my race is the most symbolically important for the Progressive Democratic movement in Texas. To begin with, when I was elected in 2004, I was the only openly gay Sheriff and the only Hispanic woman Sheriff in the United States. I was also the only woman Sheriff in all of Texas. Beyond those stats, though, I have fought hard to improve the morale within both the jail system here in Dallas County and that within the Sheriff's department. My department has made significant improvements inside the jail in the areas of sanitation, laundry, health care, and staffing, while ending decades of sweetheart deals and corrupt practices that existed under my predecessors. Anyone who has watched our team in action over the past three years has seen a serious change in the way we treat employees of the Sheriffs Department, prisoners in the jail, as well as other local and regional law enforcement agencies. Therefore, I feel confident in saying my agenda has been and continues to be socially progressive.

My Department has also been fiscally responsible. Attempting to do too much with too little money, however, is what created the Jail crisis and the Department's morale problems in the first place. We must be mindful of the long-term consequences of budgeting decisions. My Department is very aggressive at partnering with other agencies and securing grant dollars to fund programs like our very successful anti-DWI operations. We will continue to forge partnerships and apply for grants that will allow us to offset costs that would otherwise be borne by taxpayers. This allows us to do more with less, while still maintaining the level of staffing and funding we need to preserve the progress we've made in the Dallas County Jail.