Two-and-a-half hours of this hearing and we're wondering how much money taxpayers are paying for this. Remember, we're all paying for the lawyers on both sides.
On the sheriff's side, it seems like even if this password-changing action was legitimate, it didn't need to be done as some kind of surprise raid. That was just to tweak the sheriff's foes, apparently.
On the county side: The story was overblown. Sure, there may be some legit concerns.
But the ultimate question seems to be a tiresome one: Who has the most power in the county?
The answer isn't going to be decided today.
As our battery fades and we must end our live coverage, we have to conclude that yes, the sheriff's office has taken control of the ICJIS password, but the biggest effect seems to be that the sheriff's office gets to flip the finger to the county. Other than that, the ICJIS system hasn't really been affected. There has apparently been no public safety impact. Indeed, the biggest impact seems to be on the emotions of county leadership.
That doesn't mean the sheriff was right, though. He could have avoided the taxpayer expense by working nicely with the county.
Unfortunately, these people don't play nice with each other -- and taxpayers suffer