International Drivers License (Permit)

Now that I have came out and am in opposition against the incumbent Sheriff, I have had a number of people informing me of various items of interest. I received one such item this week that is amusing and something you can not help but laugh and shake your head about. I am not trying to pick at the incumbent on this one, but I did find humor in the entire situation and thought I would share it with those that would enjoy it as well. 

The story goes along these lines: a young man was located earlier this week, doing doughnuts in his vehicle in a public area and became stuck.  As most of you know, these actions are usually inherently illegal or at least frowned upon by most in law enforcement. The young man was able to provide a form of identification (shown below) upon the arrival of the appropriate law enforcement authorities.

I highly doubt the incumbent has researched this issue and I can actually claim that I have.  So in order to assist him in the future, here is the deal on International Driver's Licenses.  Generally, an  International Driving Permit (IDP) allows an individual to drive a private motor vehicle in another nation when accompanied by a valid license from their home country. The document is slightly larger than a standard passport and is essentially a multiple language translation of one's own existing driver's license, complete with photograph and vital statistics. It is not a license to operate a motor vehicle on its own.

One of the key items for an International Driving Permit (IDP) is the person MUST have a valid drivers license in order for it to be valid. Oklahoma honors a valid foreign driver's license with an international driving permit. Once your foreign license expires, you must apply for an OK learners permit and pass all required testing to receive a driver's license.

There are a number of websites that sell IDP's with most of them being fraudulent.  IDP's are overseen by the U.S. State Department (website discussing them http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1179.html) and can only be issued by two organizations for U.S. Citizens. These two organizations are the National Auto Club and the AAA (http://www.aaa.com/PPInternational/IDP_IADP.html). As far as, foreign visitors traveling in the United States, this is the page you should visit for more information:  http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Foreign_Visitors_Driving.shtml

Finally, I would also point out for anyone wondering, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety is the only agency allowed in the State of Oklahoma to issue drivers licenses and state identification (ID) cards.  Any locally produced get out of jail free cards or extension of courtesy to this card holder request is generally not recognized in most areas, especially while doing doughnuts on public property. 

So without further delay here are the documents produced by Mr. Doughnut maker, I have attempted to block the incumbents cell phone number so that people are not calling asking for their own cards, other than that no alterations have been made to the cards:

The Buck Stops Here!

A few weeks ago, I had mentioned in one of our articles about responsibility and that the buck must stop somewhere. I later did some research and found the sign from President Truman's desk originated from the Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) (formerly the Federal Reformatory) in El Reno.

According to the President Truman library, Fred M. Canfil, then United States Marshal for the Western District of Missouri and a friend of Mr. Truman, saw a similar sign while visiting the Reformatory and asked the Warden if a sign like it could be made for President Truman. The sign was made and mailed to the President on October 2, 1945. You can follow the attached link to the library in order to see more information on the slogan: http://www.trumanlibrary.org/buckstop.htm

Comments about the blog name

Earlier today, I had a question about the name of the blog and if I may be misrepresenting which I think was a real good question. I have noted in the about me section that I am a candidate for the office of Sheriff for Canadian County. My thought behind the name of this blog is simple, if I am successfully elected, I will already have a recognized forum in which to share information with the citizens of the county. As with campaigning for an elected office, this is my first attempt at the blogosphere so I figured we may learn some of these things together. I hope once in office, I can share certain items of interest in an informal format or provide a platform for discussion of issues related to the Sheriff's Office.  I believe this forum will allow for better communications between the Sheriff's Office, the Sheriff, and the citizens which is something I expect will improve during my tenure in office. Thanks for the question and I welcome your comments.

Issues-Jail Issues-Ankle Monitoring & Drug Court

Ankle Monitoring

The incumbent has mentioned a number of times the need and desire to have his ankle monitoring program as an option for persons to be released from jail. The incumbent mentioned in a Yukon Review article on 07/13/2011 that only two people have been assigned to the program. The incumbent also claimed up to twenty inmates could possibly be utilized with the program instead of having them released on an OR (Own Recognizance) bond. As a side note, an OR bond is occasionally provided for lesser crimes with a promise from the person that they will re-appear for court as required. If they do not return an arrest warrant is issued for the person.      

When the program was first proposed, the reported cost was $3.00 to $10.00 per day depending on the unit. Considering the average cost is $6.50, then considering 20 inmates released that is $130.00 a day x 1 year=$47,450.00. In the Yukon Review article, he placed the daily amount at approximately five dollars a day, in a year’s time that is $36,500.00 that is received from these inmates. All of this money goes to a private company with the county receiving nothing. In early April of 2011, I recommended to the incumbent that if he wanted an ankle monitoring program so bad that we should do it ourselves. I have significant experience in this area and can guarantee you could buy a very significant number of units for that kind of money. 

My question is why would we have people who cannot afford to bond out of jail be released on an ankle monitor. If these people could afford the cost of the monitor they would either bond from jail or they would be paying the costs and fines which landed many in jail. The system we utilize for people to bond out of jail has worked for a significant number of years and the bondsman is responsible for ensuring these people return for court. 

We have received questions about the possibility of using the units once a person’s criminal case has been concluded and sentenced by the court. The thought was instead of serving time in jail, these units would serve as a form of house arrest. Historically, although supervision is good on post-conviction persons, swift and sure punishment for violations has not always been the case. We have seen multiple violations go for significant lengths of time before these people are held accountable and often they continue to commit additional criminal acts. In addition to this, if these people are not compliant and not accountable, how would we expect these people would pay for the units which do nothing but increase money these people already owe?          

The ankle monitor does not prevent any crime and depending on the unit, it may not even tell us where they were at merely where they were not at. From my perspective, the only person benefiting from this program is the private company who owns these units and it does nothing to realistically help the citizens of this county. 

Drug Court

The Drug Court has been instituted in a number of counties in Oklahoma, many through grant funding. Generally, an advantage of the program is there is usually significant monitoring of the offender, accountability for behaviors, substance abuse counseling, and expectations of gainful employment. These programs are usually open to first-time, non-violent simple drug possession cases which if the offender is successful then the criminal case is dismissed. During the period of supervision, if an offender fails to comply with the rules various sanctions are provided up to incarceration in the county jail.

It is my understanding for people to attend the Canadian County Drug Court, it cost them $550.00 a month for the program along with ankle monitoring. Although I support realistic and effective programs, I would like to see the effectiveness of our particular program. In the course of my law enforcement career in this county, I have dealt with a significant number of drug offenders and found few that had any money to be provided to another expense. In addition, without adequate jail space Drug Court sanctions are significantly impacted.

Ultimately, the Sheriff has little interaction or responsibility for the Drug Court. Although this has been offered as an alternative to incarceration, I wonder if the Drug Court program would even have enough offenders to significantly impact our housing problems in the jail.

Issues-Jail Issues-What about a Tent City?

During the campaign, there have been questions about establishing a “Tent City” as popularized by Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona. Upon researching the requirements for a tent facility, I found the provisions in which a facility could be established. According to the Oklahoma Administrative Code (310:670-5-11.C.), new facilities and substantial remodeling of facilities after January 1, 1992 must comply as follows:

The Department must approve the establishment and design of this type of facility. The State Fire Marshal must approve it. A county may erect a tent jail which is temporary in nature, to meet the needs of the county for confining minimum-security prisoners. A tent jail shall not detain juveniles and shall maintain continuous, physical and architectural separation of male and female prisoners. A tent jail shall not be required to meet minimum requirements for a jail facility but shall provide at least the following:

(1) Accommodations.

(A) Basic daily living needs;

(B) Medical needs;

(C) Shelter from inclement weather;

(D) Freedom from obvious safety hazards;

(E) Fire extinguishers as recommended by the Oklahoma State Fire Marshal; and

(F) General comfort consistent with security and control of prisoners. 

(2) Security

(A) Tents erected inside a fenced area suitable for guarding and controlling prisoners; and

(B) Permit prisoners to have visitors consistent with security requirements. 

Therefore, as far as tent cities go, under Oklahoma regulations they can only be temporary and for minimum security inmates. Considering our varied weather conditions, I question how we could adequately shelter inmates from inclement weather. Also as with the dormitory idea, I question whether we have a sufficient number of minimum security inmates to alleviate our problem. As a result, I do not believe this is a viable alternative for housing of our inmates.

Issues-Jail Issues-What about a Dormitory?

Upon researching the requirements for a dormitory facility, I found the provisions in which a dormitory facility could be established. According to the Oklahoma Administrative Code (310:670-5-11.7.), new facilities and substantial remodeling of facilities after January 1, 1992 must comply as follows:


A county may provide a dormitory-style jail to accommodate minimum security prisoners. A dormitory-style jail shall be equipped with washbasins, toilets and showers with hot and cold running water at a ratio of at least one (1) washbasin, one (1) toilet and one (1) shower to twenty (20) prisoners. A dormitory-style jail shall meet all requirements for jail facilities.


As far as employee staffing of the facility, we have had proposals placing the inmate population at approximately one hundred inmates, give or take depending on the proposal. According to the Oklahoma Administrative Code (310:670-5-3), “facilities which house more than twenty (20) prisoners shall have on site one (1) dispatcher or control center operator and a minimum of two (2) jailers on the premises”. Therefore, considering the staffing, we would be required to have a minimum of three personnel on site, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, etc. etc.


Therefore by reviewing the administrative rules, we could establish a dormitory to house minimum security prisoners while having a minimum of two to three employees depending on the facilities location. On an analysis of inmates housed at the county jail on 05/02/2011, we had the following inmates in custody for the listed crimes:


# Most Significant Crime of Inmates

4	Assault &Battery with Dangerous Weapon
1	Assault and Battery
2	Bogus Check
8	Burglary
3	Child Abuse/Neglect
5	Domestic Abuse
39	Fail to Appear/Fail to comply violations
2	Grand Larceny/Larc. From Retailer (Shoplifting)
6	Hold Other Agencies
11	Hold DOC-(Oklahoma Dept of Corrections)
2	Lewd Acts to Child (Child Molestation)
1	Manslaughter 1 (Death of Another)
1	Material Witness
1	Molest (Interfere or Vandalize) Motor Vehicle
4	Murder
2	On Writ (People in custody elsewhere in our Jail)
10	PCDS-Possess Illegal Drugs
2	Robbery
18	Serve Time
4	Traffic-DUI-Driving Under Influence
2	Traffic-DUS-Drive with Suspended DL
1	Traffic-Leave Scene of Veh Accident
10	Trafficking in Illegal Drugs (based on drug weight)
1	Use of Forged Credit Card
2	Uttering Forged Instruments
1	UUMV-(Possess Stolen Vehicle)
143	Total

After a review of the crimes in which people are incarcerated, I question if we could even adequately house a significant amount of minimum security level inmates in a facility to ease our situation with an inadequate jail (I would caution people that these numbers are ever changing but it should give us an idea of what crimes are being housed). As I have previously noted, I do not advocate a band-aid approach to our jail problem. Throwing money at the problem is not the desired result, fixing the problem should be our goal. A dormitory would be a great idea to minimize costs combined with an adequate facility but to build a dormitory to ease our problems will be a futile effort.


I am also concerned when considering the construction of a dormitory about the safety of the staff as well as the inmates. If inmates are not compliant or an active assault is occurring, the proper response is to request inmates to lay face down on their bunks until the situation is resolved. If inmates are not compliant it is very possible force would be necessary to ensure the safety of the staff and/or inmates. Beside the potential for injury or death, this option could quite possibly expose us to considerable civil liability. 

Issues-Jail Issues-Various Proposals Submitted

 
Previous Jail Proposals:

The following are various proposals we have found in order to address the current jail situation, there may be additional proposals and if identified, we will add them to the listing:

1.      Former Sheriff Lewis Hawkins proposed a 24.8 million dollar jail with 264 new beds.  He intended to close the current jail and build north of the courthouse and also have a walkway from the jail into the current courthouse. Sheriff Hawkins proposed funding the facility with a 0.35 cent sales tax for fifteen (15) years then the tax would drop to 0.25 as a permanent tax for operations and maintenance of the facility. This proposal was voted on May 13, 2008 and defeated by the voters of the County with the margin being 2,985 to 1,321.

2.      Current Sheriff Randall Edwards initially proposed in November of 2009, his proposal would have cost 17.9 million dollars and would have provided a total of 308 beds (would have added 236 beds). The proposal was to retain our current jail and also construct a new facility. Edwards proposal also provided that we could go up 148 beds bringing the total to 456 inmates during an overflow.

3.      Edwards proposed a 51 bed stand alone dormitory structure, after an August 2009 threat of closure which he estimated would cost $750,000.

4.      Edwards proposal for a pod idea, added to current jail and would be a two story pod capable of holding 75 prisoners, proposed May 2^nd 2010;

5.      Edwards AIP of Norman Proposal on May 30^th 2010, adding 150 beds to the current jail at a cost of 7.7 million to 8.2 million

6.      The Anderson plan (County Commissioner David Anderson) was for a total of 256 beds.  This plan also kept our old jail and planned to add 186 beds. The cost of the proposed facility was 8.5 million dollars and the estimated operations of the jail would have increased by 1.9 million dollars a year. The proposal called for the redirection of 0.10 cents from the Juvenile Justice Center to commissioners who would determine where the funds should be applied. The estimate was the redirection would yield about 1.366 million dollars in annual revenue. This proposal was defeated by the voters on 04/05/2011 by a vote of 4,806 against and 4,331 for the plan.

7.      Another Edwards dormitory plan proposed in June of 2011, the Juvenile Center would loan the County 3 million dollars at 4.5 percent interest for 112 bed dormitory along with new kitchen and laundry facilities. This was later found to not be feasible due to the wording of the original bond issue for the Juvenile Justice Center;

Issues-Overview of Jail Issues:

We must address our current Jail issues and work to resolve the issues of overcrowding and inadequate housing. Although the county commissioners are charged with providing adequate jail facilities, the Sheriff is the person who knows better than anyone the status of the facility and should be the leader in obtaining an adequate facility. Over the last few years, we have had a number of proposals to address our outdated and overcrowded jail.

I would like to involve the community and the experts in an effort to identify how best to proceed with a new jail. I believe we should also think outside the box on the issue and consider a number of possibilities to address this ever present problem which has lingered for way to long. We are going to have to identify funding sources for the construction of a facility using the most economical means which can only be accomplished by sincere corroboration with the community and our leaders.

Canadian County Jail Situation Overview

In regards to our current jail, there is no doubt a new one is necessary. The current Canadian County Jail was built in 1984 with a capacity of 72 beds (originally 38 cells and 76 beds) and is only the fourth county jail since the opening of Indian Territory prior to statehood.

On August 18^th, 1983, $889,600 was awarded for construction of the current facility. The El Reno Tribune reported the jail was funded by $600,000 from federal revenue sharing funds, $200,000 from a state DECA grant, and $89,600 from the county building fund. This was preceded by a vote on November 3^rd, 1982 which voters rejected a two million dollar bond issue to build the jail by approximately 5 ½ % of the vote. It appears there were three other votes for a new county jail which were defeated by voters in the early 1970’s, the late 1970’s, and the early 1980’s. At the time of construction, twenty-four cells were to hold medium-security inmates, seven maximum-security cells, three women’s cells and two cells each for juvenile male and females.

The first jail in Canadian County was inside the Canadian County Courthouse from 1890 to August 27^th, 1893 (in 1890 the county had a population of 7,158 people). A second jail was located on property now occupied by the Carnegie Library in El Reno which had four large metal cells.

The third jail, located south of our current facility was completed April 3^rd, 1907 at a cost of $18,000.00 (construction began in October of 1906) and was remodeled a number of times over the years. Near the time of the closure, one source cited it could hold forty-eight (48) men and three (3) women while another showed the capacity as 49 inmates. However, in November of 1982 the second floor of the jail was shut down by state officials after months of legal battles with some inmates moved to the El Reno Police Department for housing. The population of the county when the third jail was completed in 1907 was just over 20,000 people, in 1980 the census showed the county’s population to be 56,452.  In 1990 the census showed our population to be 74,409 people and in 2000 the population of the county was 87,697 people.   

The national average is 4 jail beds per 1,000 people, our 2010 census showed our population to be 115,541 and growing rapidly. Considering the national average, at the time of the census we should have 462 jail beds which is not even close to our current jail capacity of 72. If the reader looks at the Oklahoma Department of Corrections map (http://www.doc.state.ok.us/maps/CO_JAIL_CAPACITIES_REQ_COLORS.pdf) (as well as reviewing the top ten most populous Oklahoma counties data at the end of this article) showing statewide jail population capacities, compare similar counties and again we find that our jail is significantly smaller than most other counties. You may also consider from the 1980 census, prior to completion of our jail until our last census the county’s population has more than doubled. Finally, as the fifth most populous county in the State and the fastest growing, it is imperative we take action to address our problems today.

Sheriff Lewis Hawkins began talking about the need for a new jail in the Spring of 2008 (See blog post regarding various jail proposals that we have identified to date). Through strong controls he attempted to keep our jail capacity at the state mandated level. Although, we had to be very selective in our incarcerations, he was able to hold costs to a minimum, work within the system to keep the jail population manageable and not send inmates out of the county.

When Sheriff Randy Edwards came into office, he instituted a number of changes and began seeing the rising number of inmates. Edwards even had “experts” from the National Institute of Justice come in and study our jail situation and provide recommendations. In February of 2010 (one year into office), we began sending inmates to be housed in Dewey and Grant counties. In late April of 2011, we also began sending inmates to be housed in Pottawatomie County.

During this entire time, Edwards threw out a variety of proposals to address the jail ranging from dormitories, to a new jail, to alternatives to incarceration (see blog postings regarding positions on the dormitory/tent city issue as well as incarceration alternatives).  One estimate I have been provided is, approximately 80 (eighty) percent of the people in custody are pre-trial detainees. Therefore, releasing them could pose security and flight risks to the citizens of this county.

We now currently have seventy people housed in county jails outside of Canadian County at a cost of 1,400.00 a day or $511,000.00 a year. This cost does not include transportation (fuel and vehicles) to and from the jails (Dewey County is 178 miles round trip, Grant County is 191 miles, Pottawatomie County is 130 miles), medical and medication costs or the time of the personnel devoted to these movements. The money going to these counties does nothing to help our local economy in such minimal areas as direct employment, the purchasing of supplies and services, or fuel and other items purchased by visiting friends and family.

In addition, we must ensure the safety, dignity, and rights of the inmates that are being housed not only in our jail but the others. Prisoners have the right to attorney visits, access to the court and freedom from cruel and unusual punishment. If we do not ensure these rights, we can very well find ourselves in a civil lawsuit which could prove quite expensive. 

In addition to the $511,000 a year baseline, the El Reno Tribune reported on May 8^th, 2011 that we are allocating $200,000.00 to our current facility for maintenance. In addition to this spending, in early July 2011 Edwards spent approximately ninety thousand dollars ($90,000) for two buses to move these inmates housed out of county. As the numbers easily approach, a Million Dollars a year it is imperative that we begin immediately looking at our spending. As a County, we do not have unlimited funds and when considering the significant spending, what other services, programs or repairs can we make or save with this money which would benefit our citizens.   

Another item to consider regarding out of county housing is what happens when these facilities do not have the jail space for our county? We were able to house inmates in two of these facilities particularly due to budgetary problems with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC) and specifically the State of Oklahoma. As our economy gradually improves, DOC will eventually be in a position to return these inmates to the county jails that we are using. DOC does pay more than we are paying which is going to result in the inmates either being returned to our county or the cost of housing is going to significantly increase. This current arrangement is definitely a short term band-aid and should not be considered as a long term solution to our inadequate facility.

I am truly concerned and believe the Jail problem will continue to languish until I am successfully elected to take office. I am now preparing to consider a variety of plans and options and wish to reach out to people knowledgeable about the issue. I have been conducting my own research and will be coming to the table with one preconceived notion. The notion is that we must abandon the “band-aid” fixes and determine what will be adequate for our needs and how to best finance a new facility. This “band-aid” approach will do nothing but cost us additional money which is a limited commodity in today’s times. If not properly done, this “band-aid” approach could cost enough in a lawsuit that we could have effectively built a proper facility from the start.     

One idea that we have been exploring is a “pay as you go” facility. What is the possibility of acquiring land (much like the Juvenile Justice Center) and build as funding is available. The idea is to develop an initial facility to house inmates then slowly expand it. Once the facility becomes out dated or out of compliance (many years down the road), that portion can be demolished without affecting the entire facility. This seems to be a much more viable alternative than constructing a facility in a landlocked area that places us in the same situation we are in now, thirty to forty years down the road.   

Considering that from the 2000 census to the 2010 census, we experienced a 32% increase in population to be the fastest growing in the State. Also considering the continued significant growth we have seen since the last census, we must keep pace with our population with the supporting infrastructure with an adequate jail as one of the components which is unfortunate necessity. Having a facility that we can expand as our population grows seems to make good economic sense. 

Another idea that we have been presented and have considered is a regionalized jail facility.  What is the possibility of partnering with neighboring counties such as Blaine County and Kingfisher County to build a regional jail? The jail would be constructed in a centralized area and each county would utilize this facility. Depending on the location, we may have to maintain a small lock up facility but any long term incarceration would be handled by the regional jail.  There is not any such facility in Oklahoma although it has been discussed several times and could be a better economical plan. We would assume a Jail Trust would have to be formed for operations but again it is another viable alternative. 

What economic and financial incentives are available for the construction and operation of a jail?  What incentives are available to cities or land owners for the acquisition and development of a jail site such as tax credits, economic incentives, etc.? What portion of the construction could we handle through the County Government such as land leveling/development etc.? We know the need and have a number of wise people who can help us think outside the box in order to accomplish our task. As a county though, we must take that first step in order to address the problem.   

Much like a number of other ideas, we have had enough naysayers tell us why it should not be constructed and how it cannot be built for various reasons. The bottom line is the current jail is inadequate in size and an inadequate facility and needs immediate replacement. We must now become visionaries and know that the need is apparent and delay continues to inhibit our economic well being. Whether this well being is keeping our tax dollars in the county rather than spreading it throughout other counties for housing or to the safety of our citizens, we must develop partnerships and corroborate to make this need a reality. Both the direct and indirect spending on this project would also return money to the local economies, which would in turn assist us in our own economic well being. We should begin to determine our needs, develop a good logical plan, determine the funding, educate the voters, and have the voters provide their voice. We have had some great people involved in the planning so far but the buck must stop somewhere.

10 Largest Counties in Oklahoma, 2010
Rank| County | Population | % Change from 2000

1 Oklahoma County…………………………………………… 718,633 | 8.8
2 Tulsa County…………………………………………….. 603,403 | 7.1
3 Cleveland County…………………………………………… 255,755 | 22.9
4 Comanche County………………………………………….. 124,098 | 7.9
5 Canadian County…………………………………………….. 115,541 | 31.8
6 Rogers County……………………………………………… 86,905 | 23.0
7 Payne County………………………………………………….​. 77,350 | 13.4
8 Wagoner County……………………………………………… 73,085 | 27.1
9 Muskogee County………………………………………… 70,990 | 2.2
10 Creek County……………………………………………… 69,967 | 3.9

Other Jail Issues

Upon taking office, I am going to task my jail staff with the following:

1.      I will have them explore programs and ways to reduce the recidivism rates in our county jail, if we reduce the recidivism then fewer crimes are committed and more persons become productive citizens. Some of these programs may include:

A.    Improve employment opportunities through GED programs and GED self study programs.

B.     Substance Abuse cessation programs including self study programs and exploring other substance abuse counseling resources. Currently there is a limited program which I believe we could improve on.

C.     Providing books and other resources for self improvement and education (autobiographies of successful business and political persons). This may seem like an odd idea but the purpose is to encourage positive behavior and to instill motivation to change situations in life. If only one person takes this opportunity these books would more than pay for themselves in the form of continued incarceration, the victimization of other citizens, and ultimately stopping criminal activity.  

D.    Employment opportunities and training opportunities upon release from jail;

2.      Consider re-instituting the commissary program from within the Sheriff’s Office, why pay a private for profit vendor when we could do it ourselves and keep the income for purchases in the Jail;

3.      Investigate ways to reduce the inmate health care costs such as providing ability to local hospitals to place bids on the care provided.

4.      Find additional ways in which to increase the efficiency of the jail including staffing, housing, food and other expenses.

5.      Investigate ways to decrease the jail population in order to reduce expenditures for out of county inmate housing.

6.      Ensure proper reporting to the U.S. Social Security Administration as discussed in the Fiscal Responsibility section for proper compensation.

7.      Implement DNA sampling in order to comply with Oklahoma State Law and to potentially allow for additional income, as discussed in the Fiscal Responsibility section.

Questions, Comments, Suggestions

We would be glad to hear your feedback, thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and/or questions about these issues. Send us an e-mail (beaty4sheriff@gmail.com) and we will get back to you as soon as possible. 

Final Thoughts

It is not our intent to “air dirty laundry” or make disparaging remarks about the incumbent in the information provided in the issues section. I am attempting to educate the voters on the specific issues and explain how we plan to improve, correct, or cease the action in order to have a more effective, efficient and professional sheriff’s office that we should all expect. It is our sincere desire to have a professional respectful campaign discussing issues without personal attacks or unethical behavior. While we may disagree, I will strive to have humility, understanding, and respect for an opposing point of view. Thank you for your time and interest in being a better educated voter.

Issues-Improved Relationships with Sheriff’s Office and others:

In managing the day to day operations, I wish to expand, improve and strengthen relationships with employees, the community, law enforcement and public safety agencies by corroboration, outreach, education, and changing of attitudes. By earning credibility and building goodwill with others, this will allow us to be a more effective, respected and transparent public service agency.  We hope to accomplish this goal by addressing the following areas with the ideas we are proposing:

My vision for the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office

My vision for the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office is for a professional, well trained and highly motivated law enforcement organization. There is a belief among some in law enforcement that it is “us” (police) vs. “them” (public). The truth of it is that this only works well when there is a partnership between law enforcement and the public that it serves. I will bring, through action, a partnering concept to the office. The Sheriff’s Office exists to serve and protect the citizens of the county, and we must be responsive to the needs of the community.

Employees of the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office

The morale and direction of personnel at the Sheriff’s Office requires immediate attention. The vast majority of the personnel are very dedicated, knowledgeable and loyal to the citizens of this county.  A stable leadership with efficiency, common sense and accountability who is responsive to their needs will be established. Issues we expect to address are:  

-          I will work hard to maintain the trust and support of the employees of the Sheriff’s Office, and will treat them with respect. As Sheriff, I will expect citizens are treated with the same dignity and respect as the personnel. As always, the employees will know that I will set the example, not the pace. Intimidation of personnel or the public has no place in a professional law enforcement organization and will not be tolerated.

-          We will establish a clear and lean chain of command with the Sheriff’s Office. Currently, there are more supervisors than there are employees, some of these supervisors do not even have people whom they supervise, this is an unnecessary waste of money and will be addressed immediately upon taking office.

-          Although we will have less supervisory positions, I expect accountability, courtesy and professionalism of the personnel, particularly the supervisory staff which will lead by example. Supervisors will have the responsibility to supervise their staff and will be expected and empowered to address problems and issues. I intend to have a decentralized form of management with delegated duties and responsibilities while being fully accountable to the citizens and the voters.   

-          We will have evaluation of positions to ensure adequate coverage and attention to our basic duties. On specific days, our patrol division has six deputies scheduled which is not tied to calls for service or any other need of the Sheriff’s Office.  Considering the normal shift has two deputies on at one time, this is a waste of money and will be addressed immediately upon taking office.

-          One of our top of priorities is establishment of a radio system in which law enforcement can communicate county wide. This not only improves safety of personnel but assists them and the public in cases of emergency.

-          We will immediately address equipment needs of personnel, in particular we will have working video cameras in patrol cars to ensure professional conduct of the personnel, reduce any fictitious complaints, provide for the safety of personnel, and provide the ability to capture arrests or incidents which may later be used in the prosecution of criminal offenses. 

-          Also related to needed equipment, we will implement Mobile Data Terminals (ruggedized laptop computers) in all patrol cars to increase the possibility of locating wanted fugitives, finding stolen vehicles, having up to date crime bulletins and improving efficiency of personnel in the field. 

-          We will explore innovative ways to increase employee morale as well as establish rewards for exceptional job performance which at times may be nothing more than recognition but at least it will be positive reinforcement and encouragement.

-          We intend to eliminate the “Good Ole Boy” system of hiring and firing personnel that has contributed to the poor morale in the Sheriff’s Office. We have lost a number of good people based on “heat of the moment” decisions which fortunately did not cost the county in the form of civil lawsuits. Consider what the cost is to replace these personnel in the form of uniforms, training, equipment, lost productivity, etc. which I believe would be a significant number. All employees should be empowered to seek improvement and discuss grievances in a system of fairness.

-          I will encourage input from personnel regarding innovative ideas and techniques which apply to the services we provide.

-          I will encourage input from personnel on how to reduce costs, remove duplication, and improve efficiency in the jobs which they do as well as the services we provide. The people doing the job every day often know better than anyone else where the waste is at.

-          Intend to implement an exit interview of personnel departing the Sheriff’s Office in order to obtain feedback regarding delivery of services, suggestions for improved performance, and other relevant information.

-          We will consider conducting a salary survey in ensure personnel are adequately and properly compensated for job performance, as well as review benefit packages to determine if employment package is comparable to area law enforcement agencies and local employers in order to increase retention of properly trained and professional staff.

The Community

The community is one of the front lines for the detection of criminal activity, the communities must be ready to speak to law enforcement without fear and with a desire to help their fellow citizens.

-          We will seek improvements in departmental technology including an active social media presence and an improved professional looking website (www.ccsheriff.net), visit the site and make your own determination, to improve communications and provide information to the public.

-          In addition to the social media and website, we would like to integrate our current countywide notification system into an inclusive umbrella to provide emergency notifications to citizens; social media in particular could alert citizens to other non-emergency situations such as road closures, an accident causing significant traffic delays, active scams in the area, crime alerts and tips.

-          We will institute speaking programs for civic groups, schools and other local groups regarding crime trends and safety measures for the public such as burglary prevention, identity theft protection, sex offender registration issues, drug education, bicycle safety, etc.

-          To re-institute the child safety seat program and hold additional community interactions and safety programs (would be related to our public speaking safety programs);

-          Further into my term in office, I would like to seek assistance from the community as well as grants in order to address and reduce recidivism with persons in the county jail as well as lack of education, employment and substance abuse problems.  This program would involve a number of people in the community but could provide very beneficial over the long term.

-          Explore strategic problem solving partnerships with problem or high risk locations to both detect and deter crime. One such idea would be to obtain camera systems or alarms at rural Co-op’s in order to apprehend persons stealing anhydrous ammonia for the clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine.

-          As a law enforcement officer, I took an oath to protect, support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. I am a life member of the National Rifle Association and fully support our Second Amendment rights and privileges. I will work to streamline and improve procedures for the good citizens who are applying for their Oklahoma Concealed Carry License so that they may lawfully carry a firearm to protect and defend themselves and others.

Law Enforcement and Public Safety Communities

The law enforcement and public safety communities must work together in today’s challenging times and budgets and do more with fewer resources. Our vision of working with the agencies throughout the county would encourage participation and corroboration for more effective public service throughout the county.

-          We will continue the cross deputization program of local municipal law enforcement agencies to reduce jurisdictional boundaries as well as improve relationships with our local municipal law enforcement agencies;

-          We will explore the possibility of cross deputization with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to reduce potential problems with Indian Country issues;

-          We will continue the support of the county wide tactical team and ensure better funding of the team along with stronger support of their activities. This partnership of countywide resources has created an efficient and effective team along with better lines of communication between the various law enforcement agencies in the county.

-          Will explore establishing a countywide Crime Stoppers type program to encourage crime tips from citizens and sharing them with the appropriate law enforcement agencies. At the least, we could immediately institute a text a tip program at very minimal cost in order to begin getting crime tip information.

-          We will explore partnering with area Police Departments in hosting a youth law enforcement day camp to provide youth of the community with exposure to law enforcement. El Reno and Yukon Police Departments have both held this type of program in the summer and was very successful. Instead of several agencies holding these, I would like to partner with them to provide a better exposure to the youth of the county. The cost of the program was minimal and would be a great investment in opening communications with the youth of our county. 

-          We could also explore working with the area Police Departments in co-hosting events such as a bicycle rodeo or other events in which safety could be taught to the youth and positive relationships could be cultivated with everyone involved at a very minimal cost.

Canadian County Sheriff’s Office as a Community Member

Finally, as members of the community I believe the Sheriff’s Office should take an active role in giving back to our communities to foster better partnerships and good will. I know the obvious need to bridge relationships between law enforcement and the people and communities which they serve.

-          We will explore instituting a partnership with Redlands Community College Criminal Justice Program in order to provide students access to a law enforcement experience.  We would expect assistance from the students in terms of volunteer assistance and impartial assessment of functions with the Sheriff’s Office.  In return, we would provide them with exposure and a working knowledge of the criminal justice system.

-          We will explore obtaining Automated External Defibrillator (AED) units for each patrol car (initial plan) in order to provide life saving skills to the citizens of the county. I believe these can easily be obtained through grant or foundation funding at little to no cost to the taxpayer.

-          Long term, we would like to consider implementing a scholarship program in each of the area High Schools in which an outstanding student intending to attend college is provided with financial assistance. This would be funded through private money, voluntary contributions by employees and/or the Sheriff and not from any public money. We would like to eventually reward these students because we believe they have a high probability of being successful contributing members of society. 

-          Later in office, we would like to explore implementing or partnering in a Christmas Santa program. A deputy would accompany Santa Claus to schools, community events, and local hospitals to provide interaction as well candy canes as a form of community good will.

-          We are interested in identifying local needy families during the Christmas season and sponsoring them with food necessities and toys through voluntary contributions and donations (not from public money). This would allow the Sheriff’s Office the ability to give back to the community as well as create a more cohesive group by working on a single project. 

-          We are also interested in working with local community agencies at Christmas time for improved public interaction. Some of these agencies include the fire departments annual toy drive for needy children. We could provide personnel to help them in achieving success with their program either through distribution or collection of donations. Another idea is to partner with our local law enforcement agencies in the Shop with a Cop event, other than the time of the staff, we would have very minimal expense. Under the previous incumbent (Sheriff Lewis Hawkins), we volunteered for the Salvation Army in conducting bell ringing at an area business.      

Questions, Comments, Suggestions

We would be glad to hear your feedback, ideas, thoughts, and/or questions about these issues. Send us an e-mail (beaty4sheriff@gmail.com) and we will get back to you as soon as possible. 

Final Thoughts

It is not our intent to “air dirty laundry” or make disparaging remarks about the incumbent in the information provided in the issues section. I am attempting to educate the voters on the specific issues and explain how we plan to improve, correct, or cease the action in order to have a more effective, efficient and professional sheriff’s office that we should all expect. It is our sincere desire to have a professional respectful campaign discussing issues without personal attacks or unethical behavior. While we may disagree, I will strive to have humility, understanding, and respect for an opposing point of view. Thank you for your time and interest in being a better educated voter.