24
| Wednesday, October 31, 2012 .
Thompson CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
reviewed or filed. We processed through that backlog in six months. We now charge 40% more reports without any increase in the number received, including twice as many domestic violence cases, resulting in twice as many trials and more convictions. I developed a way to track cases, to ensure all cases are reviewed within the first two weeks and the ones that involve serious offenses or repeat offenders get reviewed within 48 hours. By doing this and improving communication, we have seen a steady decrease in crime throughout our community. Q: What are the biggest challenges facing the county attorney? A: The economy is everyone’s biggest struggle, this greatly impacts the budget to gain and maintain law en-
Welsh CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
relationships with other agencies, and train and empower supervisors to operate effectively. I will implement technology to improve performance and reduce long-term personnel costs. These improvements will improve the safety and security of Leavenworth County residents and visitors. Other areas of concern include training 911 dispatchers in the area of call handling, information gathering, emergency medical dispatching, and the radio system. Q: How does your experience qualify you for this office? A: During my more than 35 years of public service, I worked for city, county, state and federal agencies. This variety of service in positions of increasing responsibility, along with my education, gives me a broad base of experience to use in the position of sheriff. This experience includes 15 years with the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office, with five years as second in command. My administrative experience shows 15 years of service in the No. 1 or No. 2 leadership positions. This in-
forcement personnel, thus affecting the proactive approach in community policing. The budgets also concern me in regards to community resources for rehabilitation programs, especially for our juvenile defendants. The budget does not affect how we pursue cases, but we are ever mindful of alternate ways to fund the office. We have gone paperless; we use grants for salaries, and have initiated an intern program. Budgets may not allow for DUI or Drug courts, but we make prosecuting those cases a priority. We have to stay proactive, preserving resources where we can. Criminally, drugs will always be one of our biggest priorities. Drugs and alcohol have always played a large part of any homicides occurring in our community. Drug dependency is the lead reason for a majority of thefts, robberies and burglaries. We have seen firsthand a correlation between domestic violence cases, child in need of care actions and drug usage. By staying vigilant we will continue to
keep crime down. Q: Are there any areas in the county attorney’s office you would like to improve? A: An investigator is something that would greatly benefit our office when budgets allow. An investigator would give us the ability to find missing information, locate witnesses and strengthen cases through the use of new information. Grants have afforded us attorney positions, keeping these positions has lead to us to a better focus of our time and energy, providing better results in the cases we prosecute. We have been able to use money collected from drug cases to improve the technology we use in the office and the courtrooms. We continue to use these resources to look for new ways to advance our office. Q: Why should voters select you instead of your opponent? A: I have proven experience and leadership. Not only do I know how to prosecute cases, I have made sure
our office has stayed on the forefront of technology on the advancements in prosecution. I put together a great staff ensuring the best result for our community. We have convicted multiple murderers, including one that got a hard 50 to life sentence. Another successful conviction was on a murder that occurred 19 years ago. We continue to receive convictions on burglars and robbers, and we seek prison sentences when possible. Recently we successfully prosecuted a pedophile from Tonganoxie; he was sentenced to life in prison. We have seen more cases charged, more trials held, more convictions and an overall decrease in crime. We need to stick with proven results, with the person who stood up and ran for office when it was in dire straits and turned it around. Vote Nov. 6 for me, Todd Thompson, and if you have any questions contact me via toddthompson.org.
cludes service as undersheriff, chief of police, deputy chief of police, and Leavenworth County Emergency Management Director. As a former Tonganoxie City Council member for two years and a small business owner for 24 years, I understand the challenges of the current economic climate and the need for government to work closely with business. My business education and practical ownership experience gives me the skills to work with business owners to reduce crime, improve safety awareness, and benefit local businesses through cooperative partnerships. When I served as Leavenworth County Undersheriff, I enjoyed excellent working relationships with local first responders and service agencies. I served on several committees with Mid America Regional Council and the State of Kansas in law enforcement communications. This experience will help improve our local communications system and the way we interface with surrounding agencies. You can find my detailed resume at welsh4sheriff.com. Q: Animal control has been a hot topic. How would you address it? A: The sheriff’s office cannot act on the animal control topic without legal authority from the Leavenworth County Board of County Commission-
ers. Along with the legal authority, the BOCC must provide funding for the service. I support a survey of county residents to determine what services the county residents desire. If animal control is one of these services, I believe the resolutions (laws) must balance the desire for animal control and the freedom many animal owners seek when moving to unincorporated areas of the county. I also believe the BOCC should explore contracting for animal control services with a city that currently provides these services. The largest unaddressed animal control problem seems to be abandoned animals, the lack of a facility to take these animals, and the lack of a method of collecting the animals. Limited animal control services and strict laws on dumping animals may help to address this problem. You can obtain more information on this issue from the Leavenworth County Humane Society, a volunteer organization, at lchsinc.org. Q: With the current economic conditions, budgets are tight. Are there budget areas that can be reduced? A: The public budget information available through the county clerk’s office does not provide enough detail to answer that question. The budget for the sheriff’s office has been relatively stable, especially from 2012 to
2013, showing only a minor increase of less than 1%. Fuel costs for patrol cars and medical care for jail inmates are significant areas that are often difficult to forecast. Close monitoring of expenditures and long range fiscal planning are necessary keep expenses low. One hidden expense is the cost to replace officers that leave to take better paying jobs. To maintain a professional organization, the sheriff’s office must attract and retain qualified individuals. It costs thousands of dollars to recruit and train officers. This money is lost when officers leave for other better paying jobs. Wages must be competitive to stem this loss and regular pay increases improve morale within the sheriff’s office. Q: Why should voters select you instead of your opponent? A: The residents of Leavenworth County deserve a qualified, experienced, and proven leader as their next sheriff. My credentials demonstrate that I have over 15 years of leadership experience in the No. 1 or No. 2 management positions, far exceeding the experience of my opponent. I have 15 years of experience with the sheriff’s office, with five years as undersheriff. My opponent has never achieved this level of management experience. — For more about Welsh, see page 13