Regarding the letter, "Sheriff helicopter idea costly and impractical (July 13):

I am a candidate for sheriff in 2006. I strongly disagree with Jim Proffitt's letter and would like to remind him of something that was brought to my attention by a dear friend.

On July 4, 1776, we won our independence. Now, after Sept. 11, we are in the midst of fighting for freedom again because terrorists are attempting to take away what we fought so hard to gain.

After Sept. 11, I began thinking about changes that would be necessary in the event we are faced with any more terrorist threats. I have mentioned the possibility of our Sheriff's Department obtaining a helicopter. Our population has doubled since 1982, and our community is now faced with many serious threats that we didn't face 20 years ago. We continue to be challenged with frightening situations such as missing children and elderly people. A helicopter would be beneficial in a variety of situations, and we need to make changes to protect our citizens effectively and efficiently.

Bob Hinson
Greensboro