Strong sets priorities for Sheriff’s Office

Sheriff-elect Randy Strong

Sheriff-elect Randy Strong won’t take the oath of office as Nodaway County’s top uniformed peace officer until the end of next month, but the veteran lawman is already picking the people and designing the initiatives he intends to put in place during the first six months of his administration.

Among changes coming to the department is the creation of an investigator’s position, a role Strong himself filled during a portion of his 30 years as a Maryville Public Safety officer.

While not ready to name the county’s new detective yet, Strong, in an interview Thursday with the Maryville Daily Forum, did say he has essentially made the decision about who to pick, and that the officer is a current Nodaway County deputy.

“It’s someone I’ve had my eye on for a while,” Strong said. “He’s got the fire in his belly.”

As for subordinate leadership posts within the Sheriff’s Office, Strong said he is sticking with Maj. Randy Houston as his number two, or undersheriff, a post Houston has held for more than half his 24 years as a Nodaway deputy.

“I am very pleased that Randy is staying on board,” Strong said. “He’s a valuable asset and a longtime friend.”

But while Houston will continue to help lead the 12-officer department, another veteran is leaving. Strong said that Capt. David Glidden has announced his intention to retire Jan. 1.

Glidden will be replaced by current Holt County Sheriff Scott Wedlock, a Maryville native who was defeated Nov. 8 in his bid for re-election to a third four-year term.

Since leaving his post as an investigation supervisor for the Missouri Department of Corrections three years ago, Strong has worked for Wedlock as a Holt County deputy and investigator.

As Strong prepares to take over from outgoing Sheriff Darren White, he said Wedlock’s knowledge and administrative experience, especially regarding the budget process, has already proved “incredibly valuable.”

The county’s 2017 budget is still being written, and Strong said he and Wedlock have been involved in the process with the blessing of county officials, including members of the County Commission and Collector-Treasurer Marilyn Jenkins.

Strong said Wedlock’s input has included insight into various funds available to the Sheriff’s Office and what they can be used for. He added that Jenkins “has been a blessing to work with.”

On Wednesday, both Strong and Wedlock attended an officeholders meeting at the Nodaway County Administration Center during which Jenkins outlined the functions of new payroll software.

The system is replacing existing accounts payable software, as well as hand-written timesheets, and will provide the county’s approximately 60 employees, including deputies and jail staff, with secure access to records showing vacation hours, sick time, personal time, W-2 forms, and payroll deductions.

On other fronts, Strong, as he said he would do during the campaign, is working with Maryville Public Safety Director Keith Wood and Northwest Missouri State University Police Chief Clarence Green to organize joint officer training in order to meet more demanding state standards that go into effect after the first of the year.

As of Jan. 1, Missouri law officers will be required to complete 24 hours of Peace Officers Standards and Training — or POST — annually. Strong said the new rules almost triple current requirements for post-academy training, and that offering POST courses locally will save money on officer travel and other costs.

The sheriff-elect also said he wants to take advantage of training opportunities offered by the Missouri State Highway Patrol at its headquarters in Jefferson City. He noted that such courses are generally offered at no cost and often include free lodging in a patrol dormitory.

Once he takes office next year, Strong said he intends to spend his first six months as sheriff concentrating on what he sees as the department’s “core values,” including renewed efforts to crack down on people who use and sell illegal drugs.

Other top priorities, he said, embrace working with crime victims — especially victims of burglary, theft, and assault — in order to follow up on all leads and bring as many cases as possible to a conclusion.

Thirdly, Strong pledged to emphasize the sharing of “criminal intelligence,” information regarding suspected offenders and unsolved crimes, with other agencies.

Strong also said he wants to work toward replacing a number of Dodge Charger patrol cars, explaining that the fast, powerful full-size sedan is the wrong vehicle for law enforcement in a county beset by severe winters and containing hundreds of miles of gravel roads.

Turning to other topics, Strong said he is well aware that much of the sheriff’s job has nothing to do with law enforcement per se, but involves such tasks as serving court papers, providing courtroom security, and running the jail, a 24-7 responsibility that includes everything from booking suspects and staffing the 911 desk to feeding and clothing inmates.

In addition to managing about a dozen deputies, the sheriff also supervises approximately 20 civilian employees who serve as jailers, dispatchers, and cooks.

In preparing for that part of the job, Strong repeated that Wedlock, who has spent the past eight years doing it, is proving to be an important asset.

However, as opposed to the department’s law-enforcement efforts, the sheriff-elect isn’t planning any major changes until he has a chance to settle in.

“I’ve got to get in there and experience it a little bit and then make improvements as we go,” he said.

On a final note, Strong addressed recurring proposals to unify the 911 dispatch office so that it serves both the Sheriff’s Office and Maryville Public Safety.

The sheriff-elect said he supports finding a solution to the 911 issue, which has been an ongoing controversy for years.

“I support it (a unified 911 facility) if we can make it work, and if it’s fiscally responsible,” Strong said.