In the early 1990's the taxpayers of Black Hawk County voted to build and staff one of the largest jails in the state of Iowa. This vote was not without it's opposition, but in 1995, the Sheriff's Office opened the new jail with sworn law enforcement officers at the helm. Today, our jail demonstrates one of the largest inmate populations in the state, and many demands and liabilities as a result. With such a resource and asset within the Sheriff's Office, it is frustrating to see many of our greatest advantages wasted due to poor or misdirected management. (more...)
I recognize that managing an operation with over 75 staff members and 272 inmates can be somewhat daunting, however, as the Operations Sergeant in the Iowa Army National Guard, for an entire Officer Candidate School (OCS) training company, responsible for all the tangible assets and logistical support requirements necessary for providing 16 months of continual yearly training, I feel that I have more than enough qualifications to tackle the challenge.
This experience, paired with my 4 years of service on the Iowa State Sheriff's and Deputies Association- State Jail's Committee (writing and aiding in the application of the Iowa State Jail Standards) and my service on the Black Hawk County Jail Transition Team (writing policies and procedures for the implementation of the new jail), I possess the knowledge to ensure that all applicable laws and statutes are conformed to while implementing changes to more effectively utilize our greatest resources at the Sheriff's Office.
I believe that the original investment in sworn law enforcement officers to manage our inmate population, while costly, was the right decision. Unfortunately, we have failed to do enough to maximize the investment of finding strong, qualified and quality candidates whom we fund the certification of. These officers have so many more skills, energies and capabilities to have a farther reaching impact on the entire county, and not singularly utilizing their efforts in the correctional/detention environment.
It is no secret that the Sheriff's Office consistently loses these quality officers to other agencies who can offer the opportunities to work in patrol and investigative capacities. I would submit that through a few simple administrative and procedural changes, that the Sheriff's Office has the ability to offer these same energetic officers the opportunities to cross-train into the Patrol, Civil and Investigations Divisions, thus providing emergent relief opportunities, as well as increasing our presence on the streets of our communities.
Through providing internal training opportunities and investing in educational and external training classes and certifications available, we can further invest in making our outstanding officers even stronger and better educated, thereby improving their performance in any capacity of the Sheriff's Office. This effort needs little more than the willingness to implement subtle changes in procedures, many of which will directly benefit our budget and staffing requirements, while ultimately improving the overall operational climate of the Jail Division. This effort will cause newer officers to support and be more responsive to the overall goals and mission of the Sheriff's Office as a whole, and not just one division.