By Sara Strong
The community approach to law enforcement, drug prevention and a healthy county are already starting with the Rock County Sheriff's Department undergoing community policing training that will continue through May 2003.
In forming a partnership with the community, Rock County Sheriff Ron McClure said Tuesday he will meet with parents and neighborhoods whenever asked to discuss crime issues.
McClure said the department is learning more about community policing and wants to improve. But he also cautioned a group attending the Rock County Board of Commissioners meeting not to take the law into their own hands. "We still have to follow the law," he said.
People at the County Board meeting said they feel they know where drug activity is occurring and feel unsafe. A few mentioned buying guns for protection.
Lila Bauer, who spoke on behalf of concerned parents Tuesday, said, "I know a woman who locks her door when she goes outside to water her own lawn."
The SheriffÕs Department is participating in a Parents: The Anti-Drug and Violence Task Force meeting Tuesday, Oct. 22, in the Pizza Ranch, Luverne.
"We're working and going to school and trying our best. I've got a great staff," McClure said.
He wants to share specifics about how the department gathers evidence for search warrants and arrests.
Stan Nelson also spoke at the meeting and said that parents and teachers and others who work with young people should be educated about drug use and abuse. "But," he said, "teaching them when they're young is the best place to start educating."
Although the group met with the County Board to discuss what the county could do, discussion turned to other issues like education and the school system.
After comments that the school isn't informative enough with parents and doesn't help students get on track after drug problems, Luverne High School Principal Gary Fischer said, "The school offers to help these kids. It's not the school's fault. There are 450 kids that I can't parent."
High School Superintendent Vince Schaefer said, "I would agree that it's time we do something - that it's well past time. We are all adults and we're letting society slip, but be careful of a knee-jerk reaction because we built this problem over time and we need to fix it over time."
That statement, along with a sign of support for community cooperation from Luverne Mayor Glen Gust, received applause.
As a beginning phase of the community policing initiative, the department has just composed a mission statement.
Sheriff's Department Mission Statement:
"Our mission is to promote the quality of life in Rock County by providing police service with integrity and a spirit of excellence, in partnership with our communities."
Department values
We believe that we (the Sheriff's Department) derive our powers from the people we serve.
We will never tolerate the abuse of our police powers.
We recognize that our personal conduct, both on and off duty, is inseparable from the professional reputation of the Sheriff's Department.
We are committed to protecting the constitutional rights of all individuals.
We view the people of our county as our customers who deserve our concern, care, and attention.
We believe our basic missions are to prevent crime and to deliver vigorous law enforcement service when crime occurs.
We are committed to efficient resource management and superior service delivery.
We believe in open communications and partnerships with the people of Rock County.
We believe we can achieve our highest potential by actively involving our employees in problem-solving and improving police services.
We support an organizational climate of mutual trust, and respect for one another.
We encourage the pursuit of higher education by our employees.
We are committed to contributing to the advancement of the police profession.