Sheriff-elect to start anti-drug programs
MINERAL COUNTY – Along with the new sheriff in town will be coming new efforts to curb the use of illegal drugs and alcohol among students in Mineral County schools.
Mineral County Sheriff-elect Tom Bauer has some aggressive new ideas on how to educate students about the dangers of substance abuse and how to interdict when drugs are present at the schools. Bauer will be taking over for Sheriff Ernie Ornelas when he retires at the end of the year.
Bauer spent the last few weeks going from school to school in Mineral County consulting with teachers and administrators about his plans. A veteran K-9 officer with the MCSO, Bauer said his multi-faceted initiative will hopefully make Mineral County schools safer for everyone.
“I met with all three school’s staffs,” Bauer said. “I went in and talked about my game plan for what I want to do with the schools because I think we (MCSO) need to be more involved with the schools.”
Bauer said one of his ideas is to have better lines of communication between the sheriff’s office and school personnel. He said he also wants to make sure, if his officers respond to a call, the experience is a positive one for all involved.
“I want people to follow up with me,” Bauer said. “We want to know how the deputy is doing, good or bad. If there is something we need to address through training, we will fix it and make it better. But I also want positive feedback if things went well. My goal in the end is to not repeat mistakes.”
Another aspect of the plan is to have a larger presence at county schools. Bauer said instead of just driving by, he wants deputies to get out of their cars, engage and interact with everyone inside the building in a positive way. In doing so, he hopes to work with students before illegal substances become a problem.
“I also want more deputies at activities such as football games and other events,” Bauer said. “They won’t spend their whole shift there, but I want them to stop in and start to build a trust between the community and the deputies.”
Bauer said he wants to have a dedicated officer for county schools. While there won’t, under his plan, be an officer in every school at all times, there will hopefully be a law enforcement presence on a regular basis and he said that could make an enormous difference in keeping drugs and alcohol out of schools.
And while they’re there, officers might also share a sloppy joe with students.
“At least once a month, I want to drop in and have lunch with the kids,” Bauer said. “I think it’s important for the kids to know us and trust us. That way, if there is an issue, they aren’t afraid to approach us and talk to us about it.”
In what could be the most innovative part of Bauer’s plan, he not only wants to get to know students and interact with them, he wants them to share the table when it comes to making decisions. As part of an advisory council, Bauer wants one student from each school to be on the committee and share in the process.
“There will be a student from each school on that council,” Bauer said. “I think it’s important that we hear what they have to say as well. I want them to come to me with any issues they see, things they want to change or things they want to do.”
Bauer said while full implementation will take time, he hopes to begin phasing in some of his ideas during the current school year.