August 22, 2014 - I had an opportunity to sit down and speak to Allen Stehle during his visit to Millinocket, and we discussed his candidacy for Penobscot County Sheriff.
He explained to me who he is, why he wants to be sheriff, and how he qualifies by virtue of his expertise, his past, and his education.
He talked about how he assumed the duties of Chief Deputy of the Penobscot County Sheriff's Office and his vision is for the Sheriff's Department.
We also discussed the trend toward militarization of local law enforcement agencies, his career as president of Beal College where he is also the Program Director for the Conservation Law and the Law Enforcements at the college, and what he believes the office of Sheriff is about.
"I have a masters degree in economic crime. I'm an international Certified Fraud Examiner and forensic accountant, so my specialty is financial crimes: money laundering, embezzlement, and also, what I really specialize in is protecting the elderly from fraud."
He explained his Independent status, and that he is neither a "Democrat independent" or a "Republican independent."
"I'm an independent. I'm not in any party because I believe law enforcement is party-neutral...I think there's too much fighting in Washington. There's too much fighting in Augusta. I don't want to fight with any political party. For public safety, anybody can be a victim, regardless of their party, and the way I say it is this way: If you call 911, I don't check your political party before I send a deputy out. I just do not."
Listen to the interview here:
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