Budget
The Polk County Sheriff’s annual budget is over sixty
million dollars. The 2011-2012 budget will bring a
mandatory cut of more than 2.5 million dollars.
There are many ways to accomplish this: retirements, reallocation of top management positions to line staff, inmate food service, fewer take-home cars for positions which do not require one, alternative work schedules, etc. This does not require the loss of staff jobs or a consulting firm’s opinion at taxpayers’ expense.
Cameras
You’re a citizen, not a
source of revenue. The sixth amendment to the
constitution says we have a right to face our accuser.
If the camera issue was about safety, why can we go 11
mph over the speed limit before the camera takes a photo
of our vehicle?
There will always be some
people who choose to drink and drive, speed, or run red
lights. The majority of drivers, however, choose to
drive safely and to consider other drivers. We should
never infringe upon the privacy of citizen’s as a result
of poor choices made by a few.
Polk County has too few deputies on duty to cover the
largest county, per capita, in the state. I am certain
that the majority of people would prefer to have their
tax dollars spent to hire more deputies than to purchase
more cameras to take pictures of them throughout the
county. An unoccupied car or a mounted camera cannot
provide assistance or protection.
Supervisor to Staff Ratio
The civil service supervisor to deputy ratio is 1: 2.25 while the national average is 1:10. The current Sheriff’s administration has promoted 22 supervisors and hired only 8 deputies since the election in 2008. A large portion of the supervisors are managing themselves. We continue to lose much needed deputy positions because these positions are being backfilled with supervisors.
We currently have 4 deputies
patrolling the entire unincorporated area of Polk
County. There are 2 additional deputies who are
contracted in Grimes and Bondurant which cannot leave
those cities unless a vital emergency happens.
There is mandatory overtime
in the jail, patrol and court services division because
we do not have enough staff. We are not being
responsible with tax payer’s money, and we are
jeopardizing the safety of our staff and citizens.
Constitutional Carry
This is a term for
unrestricted carrying of firearms. When a state has
adopted constitutional carry, it is legal to carry a
firearm either
openly or
concealed.
There are currently four states that have adopted
constitutional carry (Vermont, Alaska, Arizona, Wyoming)
and ten states that have pending legislation to adopt
it, Iowa is one.
The Second Amendment
- A well regulated militia being
necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of
the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
I believe in Constitutional
Carry which is the Second Amendment.
Legal Immigration
Although freedom of movement
is often recognized as a civil right, the freedom only
applies to movement within national borders.
Additionally, this freedom
is limited to
citizens and
excludes others. No country currently allows full
freedom of movement across its borders, and
international
human rights
treaties do not confer a general right to enter another
country.
I believe in legal
immigration.
Inmate Work Program
Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program (S.W.A.P) - Utilizing the time the inmate is spending in our jail to assist in non-security sensitive positions can save the tax payer money! Working with the county attorney’s office and judges, inmates will have the opportunity to be sentenced to work in a controlled environment with a system of safety and accountability. This program allows the inmate to pay the approximately sixty dollar daily fee which is often left unpaid upon release and charged to the taxpayer. The additional bonus is the inmate learning life skills, pro social behavior, work ethic, and fiscal responsibility. This can be a vital part of changing the hearts and minds of a returning citizen resulting in better life choices. Those good choices reduce the number of victims in Polk County.
Along with assigned staff to monitor the daily inmate work orders, we will engage trained volunteers from the community and other approved organizations to expand the SWAP program to include: community beautification projects along road sides, county parks, and other areas of our community that are struggling with maintenance budgets. To further enhance the program a garden tended and cared for by inmates, inside the fence of the jail complex, will teach horticulture skills and reduce the cost of food provisions.
Over 95 percent of the offenders who enter a jail are released back into the public either through the courts or the prison system. The SWAP program is a multifaceted way to reduce cost to the tax payer, and reduce recidivism, while teaching those who have "taken" to "give back".
Restorative Justice
During a radio interview with
Robert Monserrate on CSI Iowa I made the
following statements, "I want to triple the amount of
volunteers at the jail" and "I want to reduce the amount
of repeat offenders". Those two statements are related
to the future and public safety of our community. The
Sheriff’s Office is often contacted by churches,
organizations and residents of Polk County who want to
minister or provide a service to those incarcerated at
the Polk County Jail. With approximately 10,000 people
across our great nation retiring every day, there has
never been a better time to engage well trained
volunteers into a practical yet
comprehensive Restorative Justice Initiative.
When we empower well trained volunteers with the knowledge and restorative justice concepts that are proven effective, this multiplies our success rate. Changing the hearts and minds of those who reside at the jail and the communities these people return to is the only true sustainable Restorative Justice Initiative. Empty beds in the jail mean fewer victims on the street. Nationally our communities already own the problem and solution.
Warrants
Polk County has approximately 5000 outstanding warrants now and in years past. Close to half of this staggering number are non-violent financial related warrants issued by the courts for non-payment of fines, child support and other matters. Pursuing those with non-violent financial related active warrants takes a vast amount of money and manpower often with minimal results, and uses valuable resources that could be directed to those who are a threat to public safety.
To best utilize the financial investment and the personnel of the Sheriff’s Office we will implement a Polk County specific model of the already proven self arrest programs established by the U.S. Marshall's Office and other faith and community based organizations. The programs save the county money and multiply those savings by keeping this group of offenders employed and engaged in the life of their families. Some great examples of this proactive approach; The Fugitive Safe Surrender Program initiated in Delaware during 2009, also Washington D.C.In Cleveland Ohio, during 2010, a national record of 7,431 individuals surrendered using this approach.
We will bring this success to
Polk County and Iowa.
Community Relations
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office offers its law
enforcement services to many cities within Polk County:
Grimes, Alleman, Bondurant and Elkhart. We will maintain
a good relationship with these communities while
offering our services to communities in Polk County and
throughout our state.
We will have a community relations unit which will support many needs. The support shown will be for kids’ programs, Special Olympics, pancake breakfasts, bicycle rides, Pony Express, Explorer Post, Reserve Deputies, Dare Programs, K-9/swat/bomb/mounted patrol demonstrations, school resource deputies, Boy/Girl Scouts, Victim Resource Deputies, etc.
Mobile Finger Print Unit
Daycare providers, schools, real estate professionals
and the Bar Association are in need of a mobile finger
print unit to assist with printing their staff prior to
background checks being done by the state.
Polk County will provide an individual to go to businesses and fingerprint potential employees. This will alleviate the problem of getting an appointment to come downtown during their work week.
Share with the Sheriff
Once a month, the public will be invited to meet in a
different location throughout Polk County to discuss any
law enforcement issues, concerns or questions that come
to mind.
This will be done at libraries, city halls, parks, parking lots or homes. This will ensure community involvement, relationship-building, and accountability with citizens and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Promotional Standards
Promoting the highest quality employee will be the goal
of the Sheriff’s Office. The citizens expect the best
qualified to lead and make crucial decisions when
critical incidents happen.
The Civil Service Commission and Code of Iowa will be adhered to and followed. There will be weight placed on the Civil Service oral interview, command staff interview, reverse peer evaluations, yearly individual evaluations, citizens’ complaints, continuing education/training and optional physical fitness standards. The employee promoted should be well respected by his/her peers and management.
Physical Fitness
Physical fitness testing is required during law
enforcement initial testing.
The Iowa Code does not require any testing the rest of his/her career.
We will set a physical fitness standard based on age,
providing optional yearly physical fitness testing for
all employees. Employees in the jail will have the
opportunity to work out in the gym during their lunch
breaks.
We will have a reward based on the results of this
testing. This will encourage employees to maintain a
healthy lifestyle, thus cutting down on unintended
injuries, sick time, etc.
Sex Offenders
We will make sure we devote manpower to the Sex Offender
Unit and assist other cities within Polk County to
verify the address of each sex offender registered
within our county.
When I was in-charge of this unit, we made sure no sex offender would be allowed to register his or her address indicating he or she was residing in rest areas, under bridges or local businesses.
Working with the US Marshals and other metro agencies,
we will devote the time and manpower to do random checks
when needed on sex offenders.
Interdiction
Unit
Two major corridors for the trafficking of narcotics from the east/west coast are I-80 and I-35.
We will take a proactive
approach to this problem in Polk County by creating an
Interdiction Unit. This unit will work throughout
the week in unmarked cars, utilizing the keenly
effective nose of a police K-9.
This will assist our
community in taking large loads of narcotics/money off
the streets and away from our kids.
The money can purchase much needed law enforcement equipment (cars, fuel, computers, weapons, ammunition) and better training for the deputies.
