MY PHILOSOPHY
Safety.
The safety of our county’s citizens is of paramount importance to me. Having served in law enforcement, in multiple capacities, for more than 27 years, I’ve witnessed first-hand how important a strong and responsive police force is to the wellbeing of our community.
Preparedness for unthinkable emergent situations is best achieved by ensuring we have reliable deputies, tackling hard topics head-on, and practicing drills to ensure our Sheriff’s office personnel and our local agencies are equipped to provide the protection our citizens and children need in any situation.
Community.
Encouraging community engagement with citizens and our deputies is valuable to building trust and establishing relationships. When citizens see the Sheriff and deputies in the community, it creates an opportunity to learn about barriers citizens may be experiencing or what changes need to be made.
Beyond simple engagement with citizens in the community, it is essential the Sheriff’s office, and all agencies within Steuben and surrounding counties, have quality intra-departmental working relationships; the more agencies we connect with, the greater our resources.
As a detective, I’m in frequent communication with other detectives in surrounding counties, including those in southern Michigan and western Ohio. We rely on each other to gather evidence and solve cases. It was an honor to be selected to attend the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, where I secured contacts in numerous states across the country. Increasing my network would be valuable and proved beneficial in 2019. Discovered in 1999, Tina Cabanaw was Steuben’s only Jane Doe. Pursuing her identity required the use of genealogy, the contacts I had made, and good old fashioned police work.
Experience.
My experience in law enforcement has ranged from patrol deputy to Town Marshal. These roles have helped me understand many aspects of what a successful police force needs. I’ve sought out positions both within the Sheriff’s office and externally to help me learn how the community and the Sheriff’s office can work together to identify opportunities for improvement.
As a Town Marshal of the Clear Lake Police Department, my fiscal responsibility and operational management have been seen in action since 2017. Upon taking this position, my first task was to develop the policies and procedures for the department. I’ve worked collaboratively with Clear Lake’s Town Board to replace the department’s aging boat, secure a new vehicle, and successfully advocate for annual wage increases and incentivized holiday shifts for officers.
Leadership.
Strong leadership for the Sheriff’s office personnel comes from providing clearly defined expectations, maintaining accountability, presenting effective communication, and showing consistency.
I’ve learned from my military background and the many leadership roles I’ve fulfilled, that people make the team successful; it’s the leader’s responsibility to encourage their accomplishments and provide an environment that promotes growth.
In my role as Team Leader for the Special Response Tactical (SRT) Team, I’ve learned to navigate intensely stressful situations in very dangerous environments, all while maintaining a steady demeanor to dictate to the team the most effective and safest plan of action; the team’s safety and the success of the task is on my shoulders, and I willingly take on that monumental task without hesitation.
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Throughout my years in law enforcement, many have noted my empathy. I was recently reminded while engaging with a community member of an instance where I showed empathy towards one of their relatives. Empathy is crucial as it shapes officers' behavior towards the community.