law enforcement

It does not matter if the budget is $400 or 4 million. You figure what is needed and where it is needed and that is where the money gets spent. I do not plan on wasting the county’s money. I intend to be surrounded by knowledgeable staff who already have a lot of money management experience. Most work at Barry County Sheriff’s Office already. Being fiscally responsible is something I take very seriously.

As the Sheriff, I am responsible for both administrations. There is really no way to set a certain amount of time for each one. I have a jail administrator and an office administrator who keep me informed daily (24/7) of any situations that require my attention. There is not a happy medium, you have to problem solve and handle situations as they come along in both administrations. If you ask any sheriff in Missouri, they will all say that the Jail is the biggest liability they have and requires more monitoring of the daily operations than the administration side.

Operation of the jail is a vital responsibility for any Sheriff. I plan on splitting my time equally between enforcement and detention. It is my goal to make sure the jail operates in a manner that keeps the public, staff and inmates safe and secure during daily operations.

I plan on going through the jail every day to speak with the employees, and see how they are doing. I plan on going into each dayroom at least once a week with the jail administrator, to speak with the inmates to see what complaints or suggestions they may have.

I plan on getting a Barry County Drug Task Force. Two deputies who want to work undercover 40 hours or more a week to significantly decrease the drug problem in Barry County.

The best way to address the drug problem in Barry County will be to create a narcotics unit. Many of Barry County’s crimes are committed because of the drug epidemic. Right now, meth and fentanyl are running rampant through many of our communities and have gone unchecked for far too long. If elected I would immediately begin working to create a selfsufficient narcotics unit. I will look at adding canine teams to our department to help deter drug trafficking into and around Barry County. I would like to have quarterly meeting with surrounding law enforcement agencies to discuss criminal investigations, new trends in criminal behaviors and to build strong working relationships with all Barry County law enforcement to not only stop the drug problem but to stop the thefts in our county too.

Drugs are a continuous problem, it is a daily fight for law enforcement in every county, not just Barry County. My deputies encounter drugs every day, we continually look for drugs, take drug tips from concerned citizens on our tips hotline which is monitored every day as well as work closely with our local drug task force and other agencies to combat the problem.