Sheriff`s Corner

Hello and welcome back to the Sheriff's Corner. As I started this week's corner I happened to look at the calendar on my desk, saw January 20th looking back and I immediately knew what his corner would be about. The future.

People look to and at the future in so many ways. But whether they plan for it, are surprised by it or benefit from it, the future is here almost immediately. Law Enforcement traditionally has been looked at as having a reaction nature. That is, something happens and we go answer the call and fix the problem. However, the future now tells us that not only do we have to foresee aspects of the future but also have a plan and be ready to take care of the problems the future brings. Our citizens... potential victims have to be represented this way. We somehow have to get ahead of the upcoming problems, trends, etc.

So what do we do? We will have to start to think about change as a friend. Traditional law enforcement has resisted change. But today's criminals demand we become comfortable with change. I think that change first indicates that you be familiar with where your department needs to grow and in what areas. We need to determine who will be creative, who enjoys planning and who understands developing technologies. We will need to know when and how to apply these new technologies.

Then we must prepare to help the new line of law enforcement Officer get up to speed and not only understand the new law enforcement demands but actually embrace them.

This means that your Sheriff's Office will be one of the many agencies preparing for the future. I hope you; our citizens will be there along with us.