Sheriff’s Office Merit Board Updating Election Notification RulesKosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Merit Board is looking to update merit rules in regards to how merit officers notify the Board they are running for office and will abide by the merit rules.
Chief Deputy Shane Bucher said he was approached recently, especially since it’s election season, about the merit rules being unclear if incumbents who serve in any elected office have to put in a letter of intent to run for office. Bucher said when the person initially runs, they have to put in a letter of intent. Bucher said there should probably be some clarity on that. Then there is a sit-down meeting regarding merit rules.
Bucher asked if the merit rules regarding the issue could be looked into and be brought to the Board.
Merit Board member and attorney Antony Garza said the letter of intent is to let the Merit Board know of any merit officer running for office and the officer must abide by the merit rules.
Bucher said there are two pages of merit rules.
Board member and attorney Travis McConnell asked, since it’s two pages worth of rules, could the officers read over the merit rules and sign off on them?
Bucher said the merit rules have to be updated and brought to the Board so they could vote on it.
Board member Ron Truex said, at his company, there’s an employee handbook that people have to sign off on. That way, he said, the employees can’t say they didn’t understand any rules or requirements they would have to follow.
In another matter, KCSO Capt. Travis Marsh said the Sheriff’s Office is expecting a delivery of 20 mobile radios Friday.
He said Bucher is working on the logistics with the stallers to install the radios in KCSO’s fleet.
KCSO is also expecting to receive portable radios, possibly in March. Marsh said KCSO moved all the portable radios to 800 MHz due to all the trouble they were having from the very high frequency (VHF) they were previously on. He said there is a vast difference in feedback from dispatch and the road.
Marsh said KCSO is still working on their system, which will be the 700 MHz frequency. The radios will eventually be switched over to that frequency. Until they get that finished, they are using the 800 frequency, which is the state system. Marsh said once they switch over to the 700 frequency, KCSO will still be able to hit the 800 frequency if they need mutual aid or if they go outside the county for any operations.
The state loaned KCSO 15 portable radios to get by, which the state usually doesn’t do, he said. It has allowed everyone in the KCSO on the 800 frequency.
In other business:
• Marsh said they were able to get through the “snow emergency” last week. KCSO had two or three people they had to help after their vehicle got stuck. For the most part, everything fared pretty well.
• KCSO is going through a couple webinars as a requirement for a federal grant in order to be certified to purchase helmet-mounted cameras for the SWAT team. It will allow unobstructed views of what is going on.
Marsh said they may look into those cameras for the K9 unit.
Marsh said it is a 50/50 grant.
• Marsh said KCSO is also looking at a matching grant for body cameras for the road.
KCSO is experiencing end-of-life issues with the body cameras, which are starting to drop off. KCSO can potentially get up to $16,000 in order to replace the cameras.
