League of Women Voters of Ohio Education Fund
Hamilton County, OH November 2, 2004 Election
	Simon L. Leis, Jr. Answers Questions Candidate for Sheriff; County of Hamilton

The questions were prepared by the LWV Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. What are your qualifications for office?

I am an Attorney and sworn Ohio Peace Officer, who meets all legal requirements to hold the Office of Sheriff. Additionally, my prior experience includes positions as First Assistant United States Attorney, Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney, Common Pleas Court Judge, and as Hamilton County Sheriff for the past 16 years.

2. How would you implement your top priority?

As Sheriff, I continue to support and manage the Regional Narcotics Unit, a drug trafficking investigations task force of the Cincinnati Police and Hamilton County Sheriff's officers, operating throughout Hamilton County. The Regional Narcotics Unit investigates top level drug traffickers, suppressing the flow of drugs into our community, and arresting violators who, if not apprehended, could violently enforce their will upon drug users, competitive drug traffickers and innocent persons inadvertently victimized by drug trafficking violence.

3. What do you see as the two most pressing issues you would address if elected? What plans do you have relative to those issues?

The two most pressing issues are jail overcrowding and drugs. I have been working with the county commissioners and as a result anticipate construction of a new jail. There is no easy solution for drugs. Education programs (D.A.R.E.) and strict law enforcement address the problem but will not eliminate it.