UPDATE:
Douglas County Library Director Amy Dodson met with Douglas County Sheriff Dan Coverley, after the sheriff released a statement on the library's proposed statement of diversity.
Sheriff Coverley submitted a written letter in opposition of the statement.
Dodson released this statement below on Tuesday:
“Sheriff Coverley and I had a very candid conversation about the statement and we both expressed our opinions regarding the intent of our exchanged correspondence,” said Dodson. “We agreed that we both support the people of Douglas County and this may have been an unfortunate circumstance of misunderstanding. The library respects and supports the work of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and appreciates everything they do to keep our community safe.”
“I am passionate about and proud of the work the Sheriff’s Office does for all members of this community,” said Sheriff Coverley. “This has been a difficult time to be a law enforcement professional and can be disheartening when we perceive that our office may be under attack. My response was rooted in my belief that these issues need to be openly discussed in a way that values diversity and law enforcement.”
Officials said the Douglas County Library actively canceled the board meeting where the item was up for discussion, and it will be rescheduled.
You can find the proposed verbiage for the diversity statement below:
Original Story: Douglas County Sheriff Daniel Coverley this week threatened not to respond to 911 calls after the county library released its proposed diversity statement.
“My response to the Library’s proposed agenda item was to provide public comment about their proposed diversity statement and to further provide open commentary about how this could affect our local law enforcement profession.”
The proposed diversity statement that was to be discussed at Tuesday's board meeting said in part, "The Douglas County Public Library denounces all acts of violence, racism, and disregard for human rights. We support #Black Lives Matter. We resolutely assert and believe that all forms of racism, hatred, inequality, and injustice don’t belong in our society."
Then, Sheriff Coverley responded with a letter to the board on July 27th that ended with, "due to your support of Black Lives Matter and the obvious lack of support or trust with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, please do not feel the need to call 911 for help. I wish you good luck with disturbances and lewd behavior, since those are just some of the recent calls my office has assisted you with in the past."
Coverley also said in his letter that there is no evidence to support the narrative that law enforcement is systemically racist or structurally biased. The sheriff says that his letter was meant to provide public comment about the proposed diversity statement and how it could affect local law enforcement.
The sheriff's office says it is having active conversations with the library board and says it will continue to respond to all 911 calls including those at the library.
You can read his statement and his original letter below -
