I have been awarded a Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Management and Executive Peace Officer Certification from the State of Idaho. The Executive Certification is the highest level of peace officer certification available in Idaho. I have approximately 1,200 hours of training in such areas as management, crisis operations, the Incident Command System, officer involved shootings, criminal intelligence gathering, and crime analysis. I have attended the FBI Command College and the Idaho Sheriff’s School. I also hold a secret security clearance with the FBI. I have 19 years of law enforcement experience. This includes 9 years of military experience, 3 years with the city of Moscow, and the last 8 years as the Latah County Sheriff.

Budget
As the Latah County Sheriff I have prepared and managed the LCSO budget for the last 8 years. For the purposes of this question I am using the term budget, but in reality there are more than a dozen budgets that contribute to the operation of the LCSO. These include dedicated funds, levy funds, grants, and contract funds. These budgets have never been overspent and have been managed responsibly. I have a full understanding of both the LCSO budget as well as the larger county budget process.

Risk Management
I also hold a Risk Management Certification from the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program, who is our insurance company. I have been appointed the Risk Manager for the LCSO by the Board of County Commissioners and work directly with our insurance company regarding risk management, tort claims and other insurance related issues.

During the last 8 years I have instituted many risk management programs which include collision and pursuit review boards, a drug free workplace program and other risk management programs.

Human Resources
In addition to formal education and training in human resources, I have many years of experience in this area. I have represented the county at numerous unemployment hearings, served as a hearing officer in personnel hearings, and served on hiring committees on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners.

I oversee and set the policy for the hiring, promotion, and discipline of LCSO employees. I have modeled the LCSO Human Resource Policy after the merit system so employees are hired, evaluated, and promoted based upon what they know, not who they know. For the last 8 years I have served on the Latah County Compensation Committee. This committee evaluates job descriptions, looks at internal and external equity issues and makes recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners regarding compensation related issues.

Communications
I established the Latah County Consolidated Communications Center and have been appointed as the Center Administrator by the Board of County Commissioners. The center evolved from the LCSO dispatch center and now provides communications and dispatching services for all the rural fire and ambulance companies outside the city of Moscow.

Prior to the establishment of this center there were no centralized communications or dispatching for fire and ambulance units in Latah County. This system has been established as a cooperative effort with the LCSO and the rural fire and ambulance units and benefits both the emergency responders and the public as now trained dispatchers take the calls and dispatch the appropriate personnel. This reduces the time of response and allows for pre-arrival instructions such as CPR to be given over the phone. This service is provided at no cost to the fire and ambulance units as it is funded through the 911 fund.

Integral to the operation of the communication center is the use of the Enhanced 911 system. I was responsible for the development and establishment of the E911 system and am extremely knowledgeable in both the practical and technical operations of this system.

The communications center is a modern, effective center and when it was designed I planned for the implementation of new systems as new technology became available and affordable. We are constantly upgrading the various systems to stay current with technology and improvements for the benefit of the public.

County Jail Operations
The LCSO operates a 41 bed jail facility. I generated the policies and procedures for the operation of the jail. The jail has met and exceeded all the required jail standards for the last 7 years. Prior to my administration the jail had never met these standards. Last year we had 9,137 prisoner days in the LCSO jail. During my tenure as Sheriff we have not had an escape from the jail or had a lawsuit from an inmate.

The LCSO has a friendly atmosphere and employee involvement in things such as policy development, an employee recognition program and a career development program that provide employees with a team feeling and allows them to develop professionally at the LCSO.

I, and all levels of management, have an open door policy and welcome employee input, suggestions, and comments. Patrol personnel are evaluated twice a year and in addition to the informal measure of morale, have the opportunity to provide formal feedback to their supervisor which is passed up the chain of command.

While I and other members of management at the LCSO work hard at making this a nice place to work and support high morale; the fact is we can not make people have good morale anymore than someone can be made to be happy. We simply can provide an atmosphere and support for good morale, the rest is up to the individual. Most people here are happy with their job and the working conditions. Out of 53 employees at the LCSO I am sure there are some who are not, but my experience with these people is that no matter what they are given they always want more and are never happy. I do not think it is my job to cater to this minority of people as my first obligation is to provide quality law enforcement services to the public.

While I do have an open door policy and welcome input and suggestions from employees, in the final analysis the public holds me responsible for the operation of the LCSO and my first priority is to the public. I make decisions based on the best interest of the public first, the LCSO second, and individual employees third.

The morale level at the LCSO is very high. I think this is reflected in the fact that on average a sergeant with the LCSO has been here for 15 years, corporals for 9 years and deputies for 5.5 years. Despite wages that are below other area agencies, we have very low turnover. I attribute this to factors other than pay such as that the employees enjoying working here.

The LCSO has a friendly atmosphere and employee involvement in things such as policy development, an employee recognition program and a career development program that provide employees with a team feeling and allows them to develop professionally at the LCSO.

I, and all levels of management, have an open door policy and welcome employee input, suggestions, and comments. Patrol personnel are evaluated twice a year and in addition to the informal measure of morale, have the opportunity to provide formal feedback to their supervisor which is passed up the chain of command.

While I and other members of management at the LCSO work hard at making this a nice place to work and support high morale; the fact is we can not make people have good morale anymore than someone can be made to be happy. We simply can provide an atmosphere and support for good morale, the rest is up to the individual. Most people here are happy with their job and the working conditions. Out of 53 employees at the LCSO I am sure there are some who are not, but my experience with these people is that no matter what they are given they always want more and are never happy. I do not think it is my job to cater to this minority of people as my first obligation is to provide quality law enforcement services to the public.

While I do have an open door policy and welcome input and suggestions from employees, in the final analysis the public holds me responsible for the operation of the LCSO and my first priority is to the public. I make decisions based on the best interest of the public first, the LCSO second, and individual employees third.

During the first 8 months of 2004 the LCSO has given 137 agency assists to other law enforcement agencies. These requests range from providing 1 person to 15 people. Additionally, the Moscow and Latah County SWAT Teams conduct joint training. I personally meet with the other local agency heads twice a month to discuss areas of mutual concern. I am also on the policy board for the Quad Cities Drug Task Force. The policy board is made up of member agencies and we meet once a month to direct the activities of the task force and ensure we have a coordinated effort on drug enforcement in the area.

The LCSO and MPD have conducted ride-along programs where a deputy will ride with a Moscow officer and a Moscow officer rides with a deputy. We have assisted each other by providing personnel to sit on promotion boards. Currently, I am on the selection committee for the new MPD captain.

The LCSO has specialty equipment such as a Methamphetamine Lab processing trailer and narcotics enforcement equipment that we loan out to other agencies, including the Quad Cities Drug Task Force. Because of the relationships I have developed over the last 8 years with all the other agency heads, whenever any of us need help or have some kind of issue we can simply give each other a call and get the assistance we need or issue resolved. We all work together as a team and support each other.

Over the last eight years I have also established a good working relationship with the local FBI (Lewiston and CDA Offices) as well as with the Spokane DEA Office.

I am asking you to re-elect me to a third term. I bring a proven record as a hard working and effective public servant. If re-elected I will continue to have a record of achievement and will continue to improve the services the LCSO provides to the public.

I have demonstrated the ability to manage the LCSO budget, get along with five different Boards of County Commissioners, other elected officials as well as other law enforcement agencies and allied organizations.