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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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