There’s urgency tonight from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Employees Association.
A quick decision is needed to find a successor for Sheriff Corey Falls, who is leaving at the end of the year.
The union is worried that when Sheriff Falls steps down, a chief deputy or undersheriff won’t have the authority they need for the job, because they aren’t an elected official.
Now they’re encouraging commissioners to name a full-time replacement quickly.
“It would be nice if on Sheriff Falls last day, the new sheriff is in the room with him,” said Noah Strohmeyer, the president of JCSEA.
Strohmeyer sent a letter to commissioners Friday.
The letter outlines the union’s top priorities for the sheriff’s office new leadership.
Among them- a continuation of the cooperative leadership created by Sheriff Falls.
“We’ve had a really good relationship with the sheriff and the current administration,” Strohmeyer said.
Another concern- how long commissioners take to choose the next sheriff.
Commissioner Rick Dyer says it’s a concern the groups share.
“It’s not the ideal situation, and we’re intending for that interim period to be as short as possible… but it’s there for this type of situation,” Dyer said.
Dyer says before appointing a sheriff, commissioners need to identify a process first.
That would include – how they will develop a list of candidates, what criteria they’re going to use, and who they will talk to.
But no matter the timeline… Strohmeyer is confident public safety will remain in the forefront.
“Our goal is the safety of Jackson County. The same as the current sheriff and the same as the next sheriff I’m sure we’ll have too, and so o we’re going to be working no matter what,” Strohmeyer said.
Commissioners will begin those discussions in their work session this coming Tuesday.
The union tells NBC5 News they’ll be there.
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