Sheriff's officers seek "open dialogue" at community meetings

To continue to foster an open dialogue between local law enforcement and the public, Jackson County residents are invited to attend one of several upcoming monthly community meetings scheduled in the county.

Sergeant Heath Delany of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has organized several meetings of the Joint Association Serving Others, which is an extension of the current community watch program.

The first meeting was held June 6 in Holton, and the second meeting is being held this evening (Monday) at Hoyt City Hall.

“It’s an open dialogue so people can ask us questions and get a better idea of what law enforcement is doing in the county,” Delany said. “We want them to understand why we do some of things we do. Like going to emergency calls fast but not necessarily ‘running hot.’ Sometimes we want to get somewhere fast, but we don’t want people knowing we’re on our way there.”

Other topics include:

* Why law enforcement stops vehicles with unreadable tags, as well as stops to identify individuals.

* The purpose of making an individual stay inside their vehicle.

* Why it is important for motorists to move over to the other lane, if possible, when vehicles are on the side of the road.

* Why law enforcement may use a spotlight in a vehicle’s mirror.

“We want to clear up any misunderstandings and take constructive criticism,” he said.

Delany is also using the meetings to show people, especially business owners, fake money that has been circulating in the county.

“Some of them are pretty good fakes,” Delany said. “They can get past the marker test because they are actual money being washed and then reprinted at a higher denomination.”

Additional services offered by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, such as the victims advocate unit, will also be highlighted. A large portion of the meeting, however, is for the public to share their questions, concerns or comments.

“People don’t have to wait for an emergency to talk to us,” he said. “We usually meet people in the worst 15 minutes of their life, and it doesn’t have to be that way.”

Delany said the first meeting in Holton was a “small kick off” to the program.

“We’re trying to get the word out to explain what the meetings are about,” he said.

The sheriff’s office is also working alongside the police departments from Holton, Hoyt and Mayetta to implement the meetings, Delany said.

“We’re all in this together,” he said. “If we don’t work together and watch out for each other, we lose. We just want the community to know that we are there for them, and we want everybody to understand each other.”

Delany said the monthly meetings have always been a goal of the community watch program, which began in 2012.   

“We all need to be vigilant and aware of our surroundings,” he said. “If something doesn’t look right, call it in. We’d rather check it out and it not be anything then not check it out and your neighbor gets burglarized.”

Additional community meetings are set for 6:30 p.m. at area city halls on the following dates:

* Mayetta on Aug. 1.

* Netawaka on Sept. 5.

* Delia City on Oct. 3.

* Whiting on Nov. 7.

* Circleville on Dec. 5.

* Soldier on Jan. 2.