PCSD to return machine guns
After sweeping through the 2014 election season with a pledge to institute new policies and procedures at the Putnam County Sheriff's Department, new Sheriff Scott Stockton had an eventful first quarter of 2015.
From a financial audit that led to an ongoing state investigation of missing humane shelter funds to a brand-new hiring process for the department to a complete revamp of the reserve deputy program, change was constant at PCSD over the last three months.
Yet another change was on Stockton's mind when he approached the Putnam County Commissioners during their first April meeting on Monday.
The sheriff announced his intention to get the county out of a program through which it acquired dozens of military surplus items from the federal government.
"We are working to remove ourselves from that program," Stockton told the commissioners.
Among the more notable items acquired were some weapons the commissioners seemed surprised and at least a little uncomfortable to learn were in the county's possession.
"As a part of that program, we acquired five machine guns," Stockton said. "Our assessment has been that the Putnam County Sheriff's Department does not need automatic weapons, so we are in the process of returning them."
While Stockton offered no explanation of why the sheriff's department had such weapons -- they were acquired prior to his tenure -- he was clear in his desire to get rid of them as soon as possible.
The revelation inspired some light joking during the meeting, but Stockton and Chief Deputy Phil Parker are serious about the changes returning the guns represents.
"You have to have a servant's heart," Stockton told the Banner Graphic. "And with that mentality, you never want to hurt people. Sometimes you have to use force, but you don't want to."
The plan is to emphasize what department officials believe a small sheriff's department does best -- patrols, crime prevention, public safety -- and eliminate more specialized programs such as the SWAT and dive teams.
Instead, PCSD will reach out to other agencies such as the Indiana State Police and Indiana Conservation Officers, which have specialized units for such services.
"In an agency this size, you have to realistically allocate your time and efforts," Parker told the Banner Graphic in an earlier interview.
An example is the department's recent appointment of retired Conservation Officer Kim Suitors as water safety coordinator.
While Suitors will be fulfilling these duties as a PCSD special deputy, his training comes from 35 years as a conservation officer and the funding for the program from a Department of Natural Resources grant.
Through the "realistic allocation" of which Parker spoke, merit deputies remain concentrated on their day-to-day duties.
While Stockton did not directly address the issue with commissioners, another likely benefit of discontinuing the military surplus program is it further distances the department from a former reserve deputy who came under the scrutiny of federal agents late last year.
In December, FBI agents visited the sheriff's office as part of an investigation of Dave Allison, who served as a grant writer and chief procurement officer under Sheriff Steve Fenwick.
While no reason was given for the FBI visit, signs point to Allison's role as Harrison Township Fire Chief in Morgan County, where a $1.1 million federal grant from 2009 has yet to yield a new fire station.
With the investigation ongoing, FBI agents reportedly were back at Allison's home near Waverly on Tuesday.
Back in Putnam County, in late 2014 the department was in the process of acquiring some Dodge trucks that had not been approved by the commissioners, Stockton said Monday.
Upon taking office, Stockton and Parker put a stop to the order before delivery was made.
However, Allison had also ordered some accessories for the vehicle before their arrival.
Among these were some gun racks that the sheriff sought the commissioners' permission to sell on Monday.
Connecting the dots, Commissioner Rick Woodall asked a half-joking, half-serious question of Stockton.
"Do these gun racks hold a machine gun?" Woodall asked.
"I'm afraid they might," Stockton replied.
The commissioners approved both the return of the machine guns and the sale of the gun racks.
Several other returns of military surplus items are upcoming, with several semis and Humvees added to the returned guns.
"Whether you're talking about weapons, vehicles -- name your piece of equipment -- we have to ask if we have what we need to effectively fulfill our mission of service," Parker said. "These machine guns do not add to our effectiveness."
Here are the prior stories:
http://www.bannergraphic.com/story/2163158.html
http://www.bannergraphic.com/story/2171974.html