Establishing Trust and Cooperation
I have stated in order to make the change and get the results we desire; we must have Trust and Cooperation of the people. In order to accomplish this many procedures and status quo will have to change. First, My Officers and I understand that the judicial quote (innocent until proven guilty) means just that and not every citizen is a thug or criminal. The citizens deserve to be treated with courtesy and respect.
Second. We must be visible and accessible to the people of Franklin County. It is a well-known fact that law enforcement is most effective when deputies develop strong working relationships with the people they serve. Accordingly, I will specify that all county roads and communities be patrolled on a regular basis in order to acquaint themselves with the citizens who live there. Simply driving around town or waiting on calls will not work.
Third, we must work with and assist other agencies such as Emergency Services, Fire, and other law enforcement agencies. In Franklin County our resources are sometimes stretched extremely thin, therefore we must work together in order to accomplish our goal. This is a start in the process of restoring the two basics we must have in order complete the change in Franklin County.
Tim O’Neal.