Judge refreshingly honest in criticism of Trumbull sheriff

Using words such as inept and indifferent, Newton Falls Municipal Judge Thomas L. Old unleashed a verbal volley against Trumbull County Sheriff Thomas Altiere that must have sent shockwaves through government. After all, in the Mahoning Valley, officeholders rarely speak ill of each other. The only problem with the judge's public criticism is that it comes just two months before he is due to leave office.
While his impending departure Sept. 1 does not diminish the importance of his observations about the sheriff's department, we would have preferred to have heard from Old prior to this. Why? Because what he says has to do with efficiency in government and, ultimately, in savings to the financially challenged county.
In a letter to The Vindicator, the judge lashed out at the sheriff for dragging his feet on video arraignments and for not having electronic monitoring equipment in operation. He contended that he and the judges of the other county courts have been waiting a long time for video arraignments. Indeed, Old was told in March that the system would be in place within 60 to 90 days.
"I conservatively estimate that a minimum of $350,000 has been wasted during the years since the new jail opened [in 1997] in expense transporting prisoners" to and from the Newton Falls Court. "The collective total wasted among the courts is ... probably more than $1 million."
So, how did the sheriff react to the judge's criticism? By pointing the finger of blame at Linda Sypert, the county's information services director, and Assistant Prosecutor Jim Misocky.
Sheriff's responsibility
That's unacceptable. Altiere's chief responsibility as sheriff is the operation of the county jail. In that regard, he has the authority to implement programs that will help make the criminal justice system operate more efficiently. Video arraignments is not a new concept. It has been around for quite a while. And electronic monitoring (ankle bracelets) are extensively used in this region and around the country.
"I agree with the Judge Old wholeheartedly," the sheriff said, when told of the verbal attack. "We need this stuff. ... Hopefully with our financial situation being more stable ... we can get this done by the end of the year."
But as Old rightly pointed out, the issue has been hanging fire for years. Altiere agrees, saying his department has been trying to push through video arraignments "for a long time," but that Sypert "has a lot on her plate."
"Had the promises been kept, deputies who do the transports could have been given other duties," Judge Old wrote in the letter to The Vindicator. "As a judge and taxpayer, I resent the fact that the sheriff has never been taken to task for this failure."
Well, we're taking him to task now for failing to do his duty -- and would have done so at any time had we known of Old's concerns.
That's what troubles us about the judge's timing. He'll be leaving in September and we wonder if any of his colleagues will step forward to take up the demand for change. The sheriff's department must not be let off the hook.
Altiere told The Vindicator that the department can get video arraignment on line and electronic monitoring in effect by year's end. The taxpayers should hold him to that deadline.