A contrary view. Not that I think the guy is right, but I would posit that that there may be some rational explanations. I wouldn’t be so quick to pillory him.
First, in Ohio (and many other states) sheriffs are elected, not appointed. So one would have to figure that this guy will be running again in a year or two, and that this decision, while ostensibly law enforcement, is in some way related to his constituency and the likelihood of getting reelected. Politics is never far away.
Second, I’m sympathetic to the training issue. Sheriff’s deputies are not trained in the administration of drugs. Even a spray bottle like Narcan – there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. If a policeman or deputy does it the wrong way, it’s not unreasonable to assume that the addict (or his/her family) will sue the police or sheriff department for malpractice or something similar. I can see why this sheriff would want to avoid that sort of lawsuit.
Finally, as the sheriff said, in a county like Butler (part of the Cincinnati metro area) an ambulance and properly trained personnel are not that far away. There are plenty of counties in Ohio that have much poorer EMT service. So I think there is a rational basis for this sheriff to leave the detox job to the people who are trained for it.
Summary: this sheriff is not necessarily an uncaring jackass – there are rational reasons for his decision.