I believe cooperation between Emergency Services is one of the most imperative operating functions.  When this cohesion is not present, the citizen in most cases pays the price.  We cannot afford to sit by and allow this to happen anymore.  The core parts of Emergency Services in Madison County are:

Rexburg Police Department

Rexburg/Madison Fire and Ambulance

Idaho State Police

Madison County Sheriff’s Office

Homeland Security

These entities have to work together in the event of all emergencies.  I have seen the lack of cooperation for too many years.   Because I believe in complete Accountability, Commitment and Transparency, I will take the first step and be accountable.  I will not paint the warm and fuzzy picture that everything has been and is always perfect and put on a public face of cooperation.  I have not always been in the forefront of cooperation.  This would be due mostly to the “self-sufficient” attitude.  This attitude comes from the very top and is encouraged on the way down the line.  This has to change.  We can no longer have the jurisdictional battles.  These issues, of course, have not prevented the line staff from responding and protecting citizens.  However, we all know that when we work together, crimes and emergencies have been resolved quicker and more efficiently.  If you are a member of one of these agencies, then you know exactly where the cooperation level is at.  You know that when it comes down to the core of the issue everyone is going to pitch in and do their best to resolve whatever the problem is at hand.  However, because of your job you also know how much better things could be.  My pledge is to make that happen.  This will happen because I will be fully engaged in listening to your concerns and suggestions on how we can work together to improve if not, overhaul relationships.

My goal when elected your working Sheriff will be to clear the slate of past political interference with cooperation.  I will request, at a minimum, a monthly meeting between the above agencies in which top administrators work out contingency plans and operational procedures starting from the biggest issues to the smallest calls for mutual aid service.  I will advocate total information pass down with combined daily briefings between the above agencies, specifically having a Patrol and Detective Supervisor from the Sheriff’s office meeting daily with the RPD and ISP.  I will propose integrated changes to technology which will improve daily communications between agencies as well as citizens.  I will have a trained and qualified public information officer who will maintain our integrity to insure that the proper credit is given in every circumstance when crimes and emergencies are handled efficiently.  The public information officer will also work to get information out to the public as fast as we can when it deals with public safety.  We will also prescribe to public transparency when we have made a mistake and we will work though the issues without attempting to conceal them.

I will propose joint training between agencies quarterly which includes all emergency services as well as a yearly combined block training that will not only benefit the tax payers in emergency service response but also address budgetary concerns.  There will be open discussion when it comes to budgets such as homeland security, 911 funds and grant applications for man power and equipment.

I will propose a full time joint Narcotics task force as well as a joint task force on Child Abuse and Child pornography.  These task forces will be between the Rexburg Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office and other appropriate agencies.  We have some of the best computer forensic capabilities around.   We will work together for the benefit of the community to educate and prevent addiction to drugs, including prescription abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, internet safety, bullying and the many other community watch and safety programs.

The Rexburg/Madison Fire department should be front and center with many different trainings, briefings and meetings.  All agencies should have all the information available in order to be the most effective at providing the best service possible to the community.

Our county Road and Bridge is another agency we should be more involved in communicating and cooperating with.  We should be spending some of our stationary radar time on road construction jobs and projects throughout the county roads making sure the traffic is kept within the safe speed limit.  They have an extremely tough job during all kinds of weather environments and the people on the roads should know we want to keep them safe.

We will also work hand in hand with the many other assist agencies to insure complete and transparent cooperation is happening.  Some of these agencies include:

Health and Welfare

Family Crisis Center

HELP Inc.

City of Rexburg

Sugar City

Madison School District

Sugar Salem School District

Tri County Probation

Madison County Juvenile probation

Madison County Prosecutors Office

Madison Memorial Hospital

All surrounding County and City Law Enforcement agencies

All Federal Law Enforcement agencies

I know there are many more agencies to list.  I want these agencies and the citizens to know that this is not just a flip flop campaign promise that will resort back to the way things have always been done after a few years.  I will not just promote ideas during election years.  We will continue to stay focused in conjunction with the citizens and appropriate agencies.  My promise is to build lifelong partnerships between the Sheriff’s office, the citizens and all responding emergency service agencies.