Sheriff Candidates Talk Drugs, Pay And JCAP During 2022 Candidate Forum
Sheriff Candidates Talk Drugs, Pay And JCAP During 2022 Candidate Forum
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Sheriff Candidates Talk Drugs, Pay And JCAP During 2022 Candidate ForumWith the Republican primary less than a week away, both candidates for county sheriff - incumbent Kyle Dukes and deputy Jim Smith - responded to eight questions during Wednesday’s 2022 Candidate Forum.
The forum was organized through a partnership of the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce, Kensington Media, Times-Union and InkFree News.
The first question dealt with drugs in the jail and overdoses of fentanyl in the jail. They were asked what would be their top priority in addressing the drug issue in the jail if they are elected sheriff for the next four years.
Dukes said, “This is going to be an issue for all jails here in the state of Indiana because now we’re dealing with fentanyl. So, Kosciusko County is no different than in every other county in Indiana, whether it’s meth, heroin or fentanyl. Fentanyl is going to be an issue because technology fails, technology will not pick up fentanyl, especially when it’s hid inside people.”
He said when the jail had the two overdoses a month ago, “technology failed us.” The body scanner is a great tool that’s caught drug trafficking before, but fentanyl is a big issue the jail is dealing with. He said the jail will continue to take a proactive approach, “but this has always been an issue of drugs getting sneaked into the jail, so it’s a constant issue in every jail ... in the United States.”
Smith agreed that drugs in the jail was going to be an ongoing issue “and we’re going to have to continue to think outside the box.” He advocated for having a drug-detecting canine in the jail as that would be a proactive measure and a tool that they can use. He said they need to continue to use the body scanner and have someone on staff who is a body scanner expert.
The next question asked the candidates if how successful has the Jail Chemical Addiction Program (JCAP) been in the county jail and what changes - if any - would they make.
Smith said as a law enforcement officer, it was refreshing to have a program like JCAP that so many in the community get behind.
“So, contrary to what some people have been told, JCAP stays under my administration. We’re going to continue on with it. We’re going to continue to build on its success,” he said.
A couple of ideas he has in a way of doing that is to implement more structure in the day-to-day operations, have a service component added that would be a benefit to the community while the inmates are participating in the program, and work with a collegiate organization to do a statistical analysis of the success of the program.
He also suggested moving JCAP outside of the jail.
Dukes said, “So, we have the No. 1 JCAP program in the state of Indiana. I’m very proud of that. We have 30 local businesses and organizations that come into our jail and help teach, mentor and train.”
He thanked JCAP Coordinator Courtney Jenkins for everything she’s done for the program. He also noted that JCAP has a 59% success rate that the addicted person stays out of incarceration and stays clean in the community.
The sheriff’s salary and how a sheriff should be compensated was asked of the candidates.
Dukes said there are two ways a sheriff can be compensated - “either follow state statute or get a contract from the county.”
In 2010, he said the statute was constructed on sheriffs’ salaries. There’s a formula and it goes by population of the county.
“So when I came into office, I made it a priority to start following state statutes and I mean in a lot more ways than just my salary,” he said.
On tax warrants, which the sheriff can collect toward their salary, Dukes said, “Tax warrants are uncollected sales tax through the Indiana Department of Revenue. ... There are some sheriffs in the state of Indiana that will come and close your business down. Lock the doors and sit down and say, ‘I’m not leaving until the money is paid.’ I’ve never done that. I’ve always worked with local business owners. Always. And I believe that a handshake deal still means something.”
While Smith agreed it would be legal and following state statutes, he said it wouldn’t be against state statue to take less salary as sheriff.
“I pledge that once elected, I’d like to go into contract with the county for a salary that is more in align with the average sheriff salaries in the state of Indiana,” he said.
As for tax warrants, Smith said in 2019 the county signed a contract with a third-party entity to help with the tax warrant issue. “So, in that sense, I feel we’re paying for that service twice. My administration won’t do that,” he said.
Another question asked how many officers should the sheriff’s office have, how does that compare to the current employee count and how would each candidate attract the best and brightest to the department?
Smith said that while officers are always going to tell you that more officers are needed, “I certainly think that there’s things inside the department maybe can be streamlined to take a load off.”
Speaking about the Patrol Division because he works in patrol, Smith said streamlining could be done in areas such as paperwork to keep officers out on the road more.
As for attracting the best and brightest to the department, Smith said that starts at the top and comradery. “You’ve got to have a lead-from-the-front mentality and build that comradery, make it a place where people want to come to work,” he said.
Dukes said KCSO currently has 36 deputy sheriffs. The Warsaw Police Department has up to 42 spots.
“So when you really look at that, the Sheriff’s Office has 36 deputy sheriffs and there’s (82,000) people residing in Kosciusko County,” he said. “Let me tell you: These brave men and women that work for the Sheriff’s Office, the call volume is just outrageous.”
The call volume has skyrocketed, he said, and on a good day there’s five deputy sheriffs per shift.
“Do we need more? Absolutely we need more,” Dukes said, noting that last year alone sheriff’s deputies alone took over 26,000 calls. “These deputy sheriffs are my heroes. We expect a lot from them, and I’m proud to say that we have our first female deputy sheriff in our patrol division and she’s doing a phenomenal job.”
He said they couldn’t take that call volume if they didn’t have the support from the local police departments.
Another question asked about transparency in the Sheriff’s Office.
Dukes said one of the first things he did when he became sheriff was create a full-time public information officer because he wants the public to know what’s going on in the Sheriff’s Office. He said Sgt. Chris Francis is doing a phenomenal job at it.
He also had a KCSO Facebook page started and the Office is coming out soon with an app with information.
Smith said transparency is imperative and it will continue with his administration as well. He said social media is a good tool for all businesses and departments.
On NET (Narcotics Enforcement Team) 43, Smith said it would continue under his administration and he was a big fan of the unit. Dukes said NET 43 was a campaign promise of his 3-1/2 years ago to get the law enforcement departments to work together.
On the condition of the county jail, Dukes said they do the “absolute best” they can and the jail officers receive a lot of training.
Smith said there’s been a 252% increase in the calls for repairs for damages over the last three years. He said they need to do a better job and it starts with management.
