Concerned about Elk County's image? Here's one outsider's view...

[Patriot]

Do we have an image problem?  I ran across this on an out of county blog.  I'm ashamed, are you?

Has any of you Elk County Taxpayers and Voters taken a good look at your sheriff? I don't know what his name is. I was in town for the Elk River Festival and got a good look at your sheriff as he strutted around the courtyard. I have never seen such a hillbilly looking law enforcment officer in my life. Blue jeans. Bullet proof vest on the outside of his polo shirt. The vest was filthy dirty. Blue jeans. Wonder when he changed those last? He had two officers following him around. One in an all dark blue uniform. Now, he looked clean. The other one, in a regular looking uniform and he looked clean. How do you voters and taxpayers let your sheriff get away with looking so dirty? You are paying him around $32,000 a year or so my cousin says. Can't he afford to wash his uniforms? I told my cousin, as we were watching him walk around, that where we live,(Wichita), you would never see an officer look so dirty as what I saw today. He should be ashamed to represent Elk Count like this. You should be ashamed to have him represent you.

And this at a festival?  We advertise, mow the lawn and clean the windows and then perhaps the most visible ambassador for our home leaves this impression?  Great!

Link: http://www.topix.com/forum/city/howard-ks/TNVOAFBLDBNFDA8I8

[doobie]

As a member of Rural Fire I have to admit that the current Sheriff has done some good.......but with a 32,000 dollar salary you don't get Brodrick Crawford.   Most of the rural cops deal with rural issues (hence the blue jeans).  He could have also been on a call that he got dirty on, prior to you seeing him.  In the recent past, I think the guys in the Dept. have looked ok.


Kelly

[srkruzich]

You know it is true that the sherriffs around here, all these counties around here do things that wichita cops don't.  Like herding cattle that get loose ect ect.. But then again, it only takes 10 min to shower and change.  The jeans imo aren't necessarily a bad thing since they do help ranchers and other folks on their farms.   I wouldn't expect them to be wearing nice uniforms to handle that. 

I don't know. would have to have more info on that.  But like i said 10 min for image is forgivable if your late.

[Patriot]

As a member of Rural Fire I have to admit that the current Sheriff has done some good.......but with a 32,000 dollar salary you don't get Brodrick Crawford.   Most of the rural cops deal with rural issues (hence the blue jeans).  He could have also been on a call that he got dirty on, prior to you seeing him.  In the recent past, I think the guys in the Dept. have looked ok.

Perhaps he has done some good.  But perhaps he should have gone home and freshened up a bit before making a public appearance at a widely attended public event.  Rather than make excuses for unacceptable yet avoidable actions, perhaps we should look to other sheriff folk in other mostly rural counties.  Are we the rule, or the exception?  Of course, I didn't make the observation or comments.  A visitor to our home did.  I'm just askin.

[Roma Jean Turner]

Or then someone might have noticed his truck parked in front of his house while he was taking his 10 minute shower and accuse him of sitting at home when he should have been on duty and then created problems for him because they wouldn't have known he needed to" look better" for the Festival.  Like Steve says, we don't know what they encountered that day.  And now you want to suggest we might need to vote someone out of office over this? 

[Patriot]

Or then someone might have noticed his truck parked in front of his house while he was taking his 10 minute shower and accuse him of sitting at home when he should have been on duty and then created problems for him because they wouldn't have known he needed to" look better" for the Festival.  Like Steve says, we don't know what they encountered that day.  And now you want to suggest we might need to vote someone out of office over this? 

Goodnes Roma, why so touchy?

Yes, someone might have questioned.  C'est la vie.  Easily & justifiably explained.

I never suggested voting anyone out of office, least of all for one bad hair day.  I simply relayed what a visitor to our home said regarding their impression.  Having a uniformed background in law enforcement, I happen to agree with them.  Esprit de corps and professional appearance among law enforcement personnel, because the uniform makes them so visible, can have an effect on how visitors view our community.  Professional appearance also impacts the respect in general that civilians and officers have for the department.  Surely you aren't suggesting appearance doesn't count.  If so, then let's buy em bib overalls with stitched on badges, longhandles and tennis shoes as a cost savings measure.  Now there's a visual.

Like I said, this was a visitor's observation.  And the impression of visitors sometimes matters.

[Diane Amberg]

I'm just shaking my head. I've come back from nasty calls with blood and vomit on me when I couldn't get totally cleaned up at the hospital after a messy call.  At that point ya can't win. If we come across another incident and don't stop we'd get criticized. If we did stop and looked bad we'd catch it for that. Sometimes it's so bad we have to put the vehicle out of service so the back and the crew can be cleaned up and deodorized. We do keep a change of uniforms and/or jumpsuits at the station but it takes the crew out of service for awhile. An hour ago we had a bicyclist struck by a train. Just pieces...upset everybody. You can imagine the mess.
Cut the guy a break or find out what he'd just been doing.  If there was no reason, then he was wrong to not be spiffy.

[Patriot]

Cut the guy a break or find out what he'd just been doing.  If there was no reason, then he was wrong to not be spiffy.

You seem to have missed the observers comments about the other two deputies.  They were spiffy.  I guess the Elk Riverfest was so disorderly that the presence of 3/4s of the department were essential.  Darned Elk County terrorists, they're everywhere.  How about we give our guest the break? 

[srkruzich]

Or then someone might have noticed his truck parked in front of his house while he was taking his 10 minute shower and accuse him of sitting at home when he should have been on duty and then created problems for him because they wouldn't have known he needed to" look better" for the Festival.  Like Steve says, we don't know what they encountered that day.  And now you want to suggest we might need to vote someone out of office over this? 

I did also say a 10 min shower and change would have been advisable.  I too would think the same thing about him if i did not know he does do things like help chase cattle and other dirty jobs.  Heck he could have showered and changed at the jail.  I agree with Patriot and this other person as well as understand the sherriff does different duties here than one would do in wichita. 

[srkruzich]

I'm just shaking my head. I've come back from nasty calls with blood and vomit on me when I couldn't get totally cleaned up at the hospital after a messy call.  At that point ya can't win. If we come across another incident and don't stop we'd get criticized. If we did stop and looked bad we'd catch it for that. Sometimes it's so bad we have to put the vehicle out of service so the back and the crew can be cleaned up and deodorized. We do keep a change of uniforms and/or jumpsuits at the station but it takes the crew out of service for awhile. An hour ago we had a bicyclist struck by a train. Just pieces...upset everybody. You can imagine the mess.
Cut the guy a break or find out what he'd just been doing.  If there was no reason, then he was wrong to not be spiffy.

Diane, if you ever showed up on a call for me and were not cleaned up from the last call i would throw a fit!  I don't want someone elses blood or guts on me, nor do i want possible disease that could infect me!  Sorry but thats not a option even if i am dying from a heart attack.  I would not let you touch me!