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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

"I believe in standing up for myself......"

O'BRIEN, Ore. (AP) — There's no room in the county jail for burglars and thieves. And the sheriff's department in a vast, rural corner of southwest Oregon has been reduced by budget cuts to three deputies on patrol eight hours a day, five days a week.
But people in this traditionally self-reliant section of timber country aren't about to raise taxes to put more officers on the road. Instead, some folks in Josephine County, larger than the state of Rhode Island, are taking matters into their own hands — mounting flashing lights on their trucks and strapping pistols to their hips to guard communities themselves. Others have put together a virtual neighborhood watch, using Facebook to share tips and information.
"I believe in standing up for myself rather than waiting for the government to do something for me," said Sam Nichols, a retired marina manager.
Nichols has organized a posse of about a dozen fed-up residents who have started patrolling the small community of O'Brien, which has about 750 residents.
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1 comment:

  1. I lived in Josephine county for a while. It was a scary place. I stepped out on my front porch one day, after hearing a knock on the door, to find two JC deputies on either side of me with handguns drawn. They said I pointed a shotgun at someone. They asked me if I had a shotgun. I said, "Maybe I do, Maybe I don't". Then I explained that I just walked outside to tell some curious drifter looking in my garage from the road to move on. The bastard SWATTED me.....24 years ago! J County is an ugly place. I can't imagine what it's like there now.

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