Optimistic for future of sheriff's department

A retirement, an election year and budgetary challenges have made this an interesting and difficult year for the Mineral County Sheriff’s Department. In spite of the current difficulties, I want to assure the residents of this county that their sheriff’s department is doing all it can to provide the best service possible and will continue to do so.

As far as I’m able to see into the future, the path for this department remains to be the proverbial bumpy road. However, that said, the present condition of the sheriff’s department is not as bleak as people initially feared it might be. Although the budgets have not yet been finalized; I remain optimistic.

We’ve been able to hire a very qualified local resident, Adam Cole, as a deputy to take the position funded by the Cops Grant that recently reopened. This is significant that we were able to use grant funds to provide a local job to a local resident instead of using this money to maintain one of the current filled positions. The new hiring gives us a staff of five.

We have also been able to fund two more of our present dispatcher positions through the 911 Fund. This impacted the budget in a very positive way. Another positive impact was provided by Steve Carty from Mineral Community Hospital and Bessie Spangler from the Tamarac Clinic. They have consented to provide medical services to jailed inmates at a reduced cost to taxpayers.

Sometimes when things appear to be at their worst, the people making positive contributions to solving the problems go unnoticed. I won’t allow that to happen this time.

With the loss of Sheriff Hopwood, I’ve been handed the responsibility of maintaining daily operations of the sheriff’s department until the elections in November. I want everyone to know this responsibility has been made less of a burden by the Mineral County Commissioners and Kathy Jasper, of the Clerk and Recorder’s office. These folks have patiently listened to me, advised me and worked with us to develop a working budget to maintain law enforcement services in the county.

I wish to thank County Attorney Shaun Donovan for his many words of encouragement throughout this entire process. His door is always open to us and we draw benefit from his knowledge and years of experience in Mineral County, especially in regard to the present issues facing the sheriff’s department.

I also want to thank my civil clerk, Roni Phillips. Roni has been an invaluable asset to me and the sheriff’s department. When I thought there was nothing more that could be cut from the budget, she showed me I was wrong. (She knows stuff) and when it comes to the operations of the sheriff’s office, she is really the “Jill of all trades.”

I’m confident that many of the negative issues facing the sheriff’s department will get better in time. I’m assured of this when I see people who can make a difference step up and do exactly that.