Sheriff May Eliminate ‘Honorary’ Deputies

Sheriff Jim Roache said Thursday he may dissolve a 500-member Sheriff’s Department support organization created by former Sheriff John Duffy in 1973 because its board of directors voted secretly late last year to prevent Roache from deciding who becomes a member.

Angry about the board’s action, which took place sometime after he was elected last November but before he took office in January, Roache skipped the installation dinner for new officers Wednesday night and sent word that he was prepared to disband the group.

Roache sent former board president Ray Hoobler to the dinner to express his concerns about the Honorary Deputy Sheriff’s Assn., an organization that assists the sheriff by raising money for special projects and which, under Duffy’s tenure, was instrumental in raising campaign money for him.

Its membership includes some of the city’s most powerful developers, doctors, bankers and businessmen.

Hoobler said the group has raised more than $1 million since its inception, including funds used to build the law enforcement training facility “Duffytown,” named after the former sheriff.

“My concern is that there is a small ruling clique that has been making unilateral decisions without the concurrence the general membership,” Roache said. “This group is associated with me and the county of San Diego, and I want to curtail any action that adversely impacts this department.”

Hoobler said he told the membership that Roache was upset and announced that the organization would be dissolved by Wednesday night. His comments sparked an angry clash among the 250 members present and confusion about whether the board would continue to exist.

Roache clarified his comments Thursday, saying he simply wanted the 11-member board of directors to reverse its ruling that the sheriff will have no say in who becomes a member. If that decision is not changed, however, Roache said, he will not support the organization.

“The preamble to the HDSA’s bylaws says I must give my express approval and consent to form this tax-exempt organization,” he said. “If I withdraw my approval and consent, then the HDSA is dissolved.”

The organization’s members must resolve the problem internally, Roache said, and he has set no timetable for when they must reverse their decision. Hoobler said he recommended Wednesday night that the board of directors resign.

The nonprofit, tax-exempt organization was established by Duffy 18 years ago to provide support for law enforcement. Although the group supported Duffy with campaign contributions throughout the years, its members have helped Duffy in other ways.

For example, Duffy was advanced a $36,000 loan by three HDSA members--William Cowling II, Charles Cono and the late Arthur Bloom--to defend himself in a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.

One Sheriff’s Department official, who asked not to be named, speculated that Duffy urged the board to keep Roache out of the organization.

“John Duffy is pulling the strings, and there is a faction of John Duffy loyalists working in concert with him who have decided they are going to have the best of both worlds,” the official said. “They want to have an organization that the sheriff has no control over, but they want to have the mantle of credibility from the sheriff’s office.”

Duffy was out of town Thursday and could not be reached for comment. Phil Gelber, the association’s president, did not return calls left at his home and office.

New members must be sponsored by someone already in the organization. The candidate has to fill out an application, submit to screening for criminal violations and then wait for the board of directors’ approval.

Until late last year, the sheriff had final say over who became a member. If approved, a member would get a small wallet badge and an identification card. The bylaws prohibit members from seeking favoritism from the Sheriff’s Department or other law enforcement officials.

The amount of money a member donates determines his or her “honorary rank” within the organization. For example, a $1,000 contribution makes someone a captain.