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Monroe owes taxpayers, Ashtabula explanation

Whatever triggered the removal of TAG Drug Task Force commander Capt. Jeff Orr — philosophical differences or dissatisfaction with the growing heroin epidemic or something else — new Trumbull County Sheriff Paul Monroe owes a better explanation to the local residents and to task force partner Ashtabula County.

Orr is the longtime, well-known and well-liked face of Trumbull-Ashtabula Group Law Enforcement Task Force. Monroe announced April 19 that Orr would retire as commander and as a Sheriff’s Office captain effective Monday. Monroe said Orr’s replacement with Howland Township Detective Tony Villanueva was due to “philosophical differences” between himself and Orr. Monroe had hired Villanueva nine years earlier in Howland when Monroe served as township police chief.

Neither Monroe nor Orr commented further on the reason for the change with Orr saying only that it’s the sheriff’s “prerogative as an elected official.” Since the announcement, the sheriff has remained mum — and apparently not just to the citizens of Trumbull County.

About a week later, Ashtabula County officials announced they also had not been made privy to Monroe’s “unilateral” decision, and were so upset by the news that they were planning to pull out of the partnership that has existed since 2003.

The two counties are operating under a four-year contract inked in 2015 that spells out that the multi-county authority conducts “covert and overt investigations” with special emphasis on “drug traffickers, gangs, firearm traffickers, organized crime and Homeland Security.”

The contract also specifically spells out members of the TAG advisory board, including two members of each county’s sheriff’s office and the prosecuting attorney or a designee from that office from each county.

Number 1 under the heading “TAG Commander,” the contract specifically indicates, “The daily operations of TAG shall be managed and supervised by the TAG Commander, who shall be appointed by the Advisory board.”

Why Monroe decided not to follow the terms of this contract and, instead, chose to handle the situation on his own and without consulting with the advisory board or his counterparts in Ashtabula, is not known at this time. That’s because Monroe has not returned several calls to answer our questions on this matter.

We can speculate that he may have thought it’s time for a drug task force shakeup in light of the ever-growing local opiate epidemic. If that is Monroe’s way of thinking, why is he keeping it a secret? Whatever the reason, he certainly owes an explanation to the advisory board and Ashtabula County.

For the time being, Orr says he’s staying put. Some decisions are likely to be made at a meeting of the TAG advisory board scheduled 1:30 p.m. May 11.

And until then, Ashtabula County Sheriff William Johnson’s office said he will not comment on the matter again. No final decisions on the fate of the task force will be made until then, as well, the Ashtabula County sheriff’s office said.

Hopefully, it’s not too late to resolve the dispute.

Monroe must remember he works for the voters. Without a better explanation — particularly at a time when our neighbors and loved ones are overdosing and dying at a record pace — this move will drive a negative connotation among residents.

editorial@tribtoday.com

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