By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office is a department that likes to make its presence known. This helps to deter crime before it even begins.
Deputies drive over 300,000 miles annually patrolling the county to achieve this goal. The patrolling conducted by deputies helps to find situations that just don’t appear right. However, Deputies are not able to be everywhere at all times.
This is where help from the public comes in. Sheriff Roy Miller explained that citizens play an important role. Calls received from the public are always followed up on. No matter how small the issue may seem, citizens are encouraged to call the office when they see something that may not look right.
Of course, communication from the general public is not only about reporting incidents. “We have received several phone calls from people thanking deputies for their professionalism and the way they may have handled a situation. I see our office as servants to the citizens of Fulton County.”
“If you treat people with respect, then they tend to treat you with respect. I want our citizens to have good communication with our office. People should feel comfortable calling into our office with a complaint, information, or a compliment.”
These compliments have come from a variety of interactions with members of the public. Some interactions from this past year include the following.
“Last October, Swanton PD and deputies were advised of an Amber Alert for an abducted child out of Cleveland. The one-year-old child was taken by her father.”
“Swanton PD located the vehicle, and it would not stop. Stop sticks were deployed successfully by Deputy Josh Buehrer. The vehicle then stopped, and the child was removed from the car unharmed.”
“In another case, a 14-year-old girl was abducted by her father. The father took the daughter without the mother’s knowledge from Forrest Mobile Park. The dispatcher was able to gather information quickly to let law enforcement know the driver’s information and vehicle description.”
“Even though our deputies were unable to locate the vehicle, the dispatcher was able to relay information to Lucas County. Toledo Police Department was able to locate the vehicle and recover the child safely.”
Compliments are also in store for the department due to all the help provided to local events. “The deputies and staff in the sheriff’s office volunteer at many events in their communities like the Delta Chicken Festival and Wauseon Homecoming.”
“Other community activities our office is involved in are Safety City in Metamora, D.A.R.E. programs in Evergreen and Delta Schools, and School Resource Officers in Evergreen and Pettisville Schools.”
“We also participate in the Drug Take Back program which allows people to drop off expired and unused medication in order to get it out of their homes for proper disposal. Medications can be dropped off in our lobby collection box 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
One big reason for the department’s success is due to the amount of training everyone gets. “Deputies are trained in CIT which stands for Crisis Intervention Training. Deputies encounter people with mental issues almost every day and so it’s important that they know how to help in those types of situations. “
“We try very hard to get people the help that they need, but the lack of care facilities and placements for patients to get care is a continued frustration. We try very hard to make sure people have information on the resources available to get help.”
“Recently our office had a man come into our lobby to make sure that our office knew he was so appreciative of the way deputies handled an incident with his mentally ill relative. The patience that the deputy showed meant so much to him.”
This training is also provided to our area youth. “Our office also has an activity Explorer Program where we mentor teenagers who think they might want to be in law enforcement someday.
“The Explorers meet monthly with police-related topics and programs like how to fingerprint, firearms training, traffic control, etc. Last year they assisted our office at the Fulton County Fair where they were paired with a deputy on the fairgrounds.”
Multiple other aspects of training are explored at the sheriff’s office throughout the year as well. This year has seen some new items thrown into the mix.
“This past year the sheriff’s office went to a new computer-aided dispatch and records management system that required new training.”
“We also implemented electronic citations so deputies can issue a citation and print the citation from their vehicle. There was a learning curve with the new systems this past year and we are continuing to work out any system issues.”
Additionally, a new Special Response Team has been created within the sheriff’s office. Training for this, and the department’s new MRAP, have been a priority for the team.
Even with all of that though, one of the most important things to remember is the fact that deputies are a part of the community too.
“Our deputies live in the communities that they serve. We are human just like everyone else. We have a heart and families just like you. When people forget that communities suffer and begin to unravel.”
“Community support for law enforcement personnel is critical. Whether it is a deputy or a police officer, community support means the world to them and the offices they work in.”
“If you look around, strong communities have a strong bond with their law enforcement officers. That is what I want for the communities we all live in.”
