Sheriff's plan has impact in Sanders County

THOMPSON FALLS – Having a plan of action in place is important for any job a person takes. If you want to start a business, a campaign, or even run a countywide department you need a plan in place.

When Tom Rummel took over as sheriff in 2011 the office did not have a plan of action for performance put in place. Rummel teamed with his Undersheriff Lanny Hensley to develop a strategic plan for Sanders County.

“We started on this even before I became undersheriff,” Hensley said. “I had asked Tom if anyone had ever had a plan and he told me he didn’t think so. We worked together to develop our vision of Sanders County.”

When Rummel and his team developed the document, the sheriff had to decide what goals he wanted to reach during his tenure. According to the document Rummel’s mission is to “uphold the law, prevent crime, hold offender accountable, promote safety and find innovative solutions for building partnerships.”

The plan’s goal is to make Sanders County as safe as it can be. Rummel and his staff know Sanders County is changing and becoming more about the rapidly changing world. As Sanders County becomes more connected, so do criminals who want to traffic through the county. Rummel wants to make sure fewer criminals are coming to Sanders County or are at least hesitant of visiting the area.

“I want Sanders County to be the place where criminals don’t want to go,” Rummel said. “I want criminals to think twice about driving through here because they know they will get caught and will get punished for their crimes.”

Thus far his strategic plan has been working. In 2005 Sanders County had one of the highest violent crime rates in Montana at 5.02 per 1,000 residents and in 2012 the number was 1.13 crimes per 1,000 residents. Rummel thinks the goals set forth by the Sheriff’s department are a major reason why crime is being detoured in the county.

According to the state of Montana, Sanders County crime is down. Since the plan has been implemented violent crime and property crime rates are both down in Sanders County. The surrounding counties have not had the same success during the same time period. Most have maintained the highest level of crime according to the Montana Incident Based Reporting System.

“We set up broad goals that we felt needed to be addressed in Sanders County,” Hensley said.

The three goals for the Sheriff’s department should enhance the safety of the community, promote a proactive, innovative, and efficient organization, and grow and enhance community and stakeholder partnerships.

The first goal Sheriff Rummel set out to tackle was to enhance the safety of the community. As per the plan, the sheriff hoped to deploy his available resources in the most effective manner possible.

“There have been four or five patrol deputies in this area for years,” Hensley said. “When you have an area that is this big, it’s hard to reach those outlying areas.”

County resources have not always made it out to those areas. The Sheriff’s office is now changing it’s strategy to get the most out of the available resources.

“We have divided the county into east and west for paperwork such as jury notices and civil matters,” Hensley said. “If an officer is headed to one area of the county, he can drop off all the civil paperwork at that part of the county instead of each officer doing it at different times.”

Splitting up the work for the county is one way the Sheriff’s office is trying to save taxpayers money during the year. For Sheriff Rummel it only makes sense to deploy the deputies this way.

“It’s a lot like traveling to Thompson Falls for people in the county,” Rummel said. “You can get your taxes paid, your car plated, and all of that stuff in one trip. It is the same way with the Sheriff’s office. We want to get the most done for the least amount of resources.”

Another effective use of resources is saturation patrols by the department. The department identifies an area to patrol for a given amount of time to help detour crime in an area.

The Sheriff’s department has teamed with cities, tribal, and Montana Highway Patrol to deploy patrols in the most effective manner.

“It is a deterrent factor,” Hensley said. “They hear on the scanner where the officer is and criminals plan accordingly. When you have five or six show up unannounced, it’s hard to plan for that. We try as hard as we can to not be on the radio.”

The saturations are also used to meet the goal by determining which area needs the highest amount of police traffic to deter future crime.

“Studies have shown that increased traffic patrol in an area has an effect on overall crime,” Hensley said. “These people who are burglarizing houses, hauling dope, and have warrants aren’t on foot or on horseback. The common denominator in most crime is a motor vehicle.”

The department wants to have consistency with all traffic stops.

“If you pull one guy over for having a headlight out, you should pull the next one over too,” Hensley said. “Most of the time, the person may not even know they have a light out. It could be just a heads up to the driver to get something fixed.”

For every violator who may not know they had a light out, there are always the few who have been committing major crimes. These routine traffic stops can lead to a break in a burglary or other major case..

Typically you aren’t driving around with a bunch of tools in your backseat,” Rummel said. “You look for signs of other crimes and hope your traffic stop can get a major crime solved.”

The second goal of the Sheriff’s Department is to promote a proactive, innovative, and efficient organization.

Hensley has taken over the reins on the project to ensure the implementation of the plan.

“I sent a memo out to the department last spring and asked what can we do to make sure the plan is being effective,” Hensley said. “The number one answer I got is not having road deputies investigate all the criminal cases.”

According to Rummel, if deputies are not out on the road, it eliminates efficiency within the department.

According to Hensley criminal cases may take a long time to develop. The use of deputies in those instances keeps them off the road, and ultimately off patrol.

Patrol time is not the only thing concerning Rummel and his deputies. In Sanders County cell phone reception is not always available. The department recently purchased cell phone boosters, to better connect them with dispatch,

“There are some things we cannot say over the radio,” Rummel said. “The boosters give us four bars everywhere we go and we can call in and get more details about a call.”

Though the phone boosters help with immediate communication, the department is lacking instant feedback from deputies when making stops. Sanders County still uses a paper system and must enter department incident reports manually, something Hensley hopes to address in the near future.

“I am seeking grants to help make us more connected,” Hensley said. “We spend so much time doing paperwork in the office, it isn’t very efficient.”

Currently Sanders County deputies have to go to Thompson Falls to enter reports into the system. Rummel and Hensley hope to get laptops for deputies and switch reporting systems. Hensley thinks a new system would make the department more effective in the field.

Ultimately these things would add to the overall goal of making the department more efficient.

Lastly, the Sheriff’s office wants to grow and enhance community and stakeholder partnerships.

The Sheriff’s office works with a variety of different agencies including local police departments, state, and federal agencies.

During the Dixon murder, Sanders County was short one deputy and had to rely on the help from surrounding counties and tribal to detain the suspect at the time of the attack.

Aside from the various agencies the department wants to keep their positive relationship within the school districts in Sanders County.

The sheriff’s office strives to have a healthy relationship with senior citizens groups as well.

“You’d be surprised what senior citizens see and hear and pass onto us,” Hensley said. “It is tips like they give us that make our job easier. We want that kind of relationship with the people of Sanders County.”

Maintaining good relationships within the community help make the sheriff’s job easier.

“On paper our plan seems to be working,” Hensley said. “When I talk to people they kind of confirm it. They are happy to see us out here doing our jobs.”

Sheriff Rummel knows what he wants to bring to the department.

“We have a direction we want to go with this agency,” Rummel said. “We want people to know we are willing to try new things. We are trying to think outside the box. We are accountable to the people. I am here to serve them.”