Gotta love “The Google”

An interesting question and answer session occurred in the race for Elmore County Sheriff’s Office before the November election.  The Mountain Home News asked “What do you believe are the weaknesses of the sheriff’s office (if any) and, if you believe there are weaknesses, how do you propose to correct them?”

The incumbent answered this way:  “Another weakness is low manpower, employee retention, and hiring procedure. We hope that our recent policy change will ensure that we hire quality people with good common sense, and caring, positive attitudes. We’ve recently had several employees leave, including our two mountain deputies, and the process of replacing them will serve as a good litmus test for the effectiveness of our new hiring policy. Rather than simply being interviewed and hired, the candidates will be doing physical fitness tests and psychological tests and undergoing background checks. The process will take time and hiring will not be immediate, but we believe that the outcome will be better for the citizens.

In regards to retention, we feel strongly that making sure that people are hired and assigned to positions they truly want will help keep them in the department longer. Working to attain higher wages for employees is a must, especially for the mountain deputies. The cost of living in the mountain areas of the county is inherently higher — what with the cost of fuel and the need to drive further to fill day to day needs. The deputies cannot afford to live in those areas, even with the extra housing allowance included as part of their wages.”

The challenger gave these comments: “The strong points of every organization are its employees. There are several departments and branches of the Sheriffs Office: Patrol, Dispatch, Jail, Civil, Drivers License/Administration, Search and Rescue, Extrication, COPS, to name a few. They are the strength that builds the foundation for the success of the sheriff’s department.  Unfortunately, there are an alarming number of experienced and dedicated deputies that have left and more continue to leave the sheriff’s office.

I have spoken with some deputies and have learned they are disillusioned with the inadequate leadership of our sheriff. We must stop this loss and address the problems with new leadership.  Elmore County has a great experience investment in these fine people. Replacing the deputies takes months and even years to achieve the quality of professionalism and skill that we have lost.

If elected, I will work to get the morale back on track through fair treatment and compensation, training, with an ambitious team building leadership approach. Under the current leadership there is a serious morale problem. Issues have developed that are affecting the lives of our deputies and their ability to contribute the highest quality of services that our community deserves.

These issues came from a lack of involvement from the sheriff on law enforcement training, insufficient help AND inadequate compensation.  During the last 20 years written policies and procedures have been remiss for the department. This management failure has caused inconsistencies which are understandably interpreted as unfair and frustrating to our law enforcement team.

Not having a clear sense of direction puts the deputies in a situation where they believe their necks are sticking out to disciplinary action and public condemnation.  If elected, my immediate goal is to establish those written policies. Those policies will be based in law, guidance from the Idaho Sheriff’s Organization and experienced department leadership.

The deputies will know there is someone that will look into their issues and be quick to respond to any matter important to them and the community.  Refresher training will be implemented so that your law enforcement team is on the same page and fully skilled in all matters of their occupation.  The number one mission is to take care of the people of Elmore County. To get there, as stated in the previous questions, I believe focus should be on improving leadership, morale among the deputies, as well as extensive training to better prepare all department employees for any situation put upon them in the line of duty. When our law enforcement team is better schooled, with clear guidelines, and they have what’s needed in equipment, they will excel in any emergency or other adverse situation.

Our deputies will not only become much better defenders of the public, but also public relations ambassadors our community will look up to and appreciate.”

Whew.   That second answer is a lot like the concepts we talk about when discussion The Four R’s of Workforce Engagement with our clients at Employee Hold’em.

BTW, the incumbent one.  Money = retention.  Talking engagement lost someone an election.

Too bad for the public safety in Elmore, Idaho.