Of course, he sees ways to make the program better. "We would have public recognition for ten individuals each month, perhaps in Council Chambers. We would have the County Executive involved, and I would always be involved. We would have uniformed deputies at the event because it's a law enforcement project. In each group of ten we'll have one special nominee. For those special nominees I want to look into grants for possible scholarships."

"And when those kids look around the room and see the deputies, we want them to know that those men and women are their friends."

The Sheriff hopes to increase the number of jurisdictions that have school resource officers. For example, Coventry and Green already have the deputies in their schools. He is looking into grants to fund the program in other parts of the County. For fifth and sixth graders in particular, the County supports DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), a program the Sheriff plans to continue.

"We want to increase our personal contact with young people," the Sheriff said.

That personal contact includes helping at-risk youth. "We are getting involved with Juvenile Diversion - the at-risk kids coming out of the Summit County Juvenile Detention Home." Sheriff Alexander is asking retired police officers with experience working with teenagers to help in the program, and they are responding. "The young people in Juvenile Diversion will be dealing with law enforcement officers to do community service. We're going to do a pilot project in the southern part of Summit County sometime in the next six months. If it works out right, we want to expand it to the northern part of Summit County."

He praised similar efforts in Stow and Akron. "We would like to run Juvenile Diversion for those jurisdictions in Summit County that don't have such a program."

Professionalism, training and morale

The Sheriff sees the Summit County Sheriff's Office as different from others. "All our personnel in uniform are sworn personnel. Each one is a Deputy." In fact, each Deputy begins service with a three or four year stint as a member of the Corrections staff at the County Jail and then, through seniority, moves on to patrol duty and the Detective Bureau.

"Because the staff at the County Jail is made up of deputies, I have a resource I can call upon in case of a disaster - including an environmental disaster," he explained.

Then the Sheriff turned to training - a major emphasis in his administration. "Working at the County Jail is an important part of a deputy's training, especially since there are almost 600 inmates serving for offenses of all kinds. The deputy learns to deal with that environment. And we get to see what kind of officer we have. This first assignment tests a deputy's commitment. If you can be a loyal officer and work that jail and keep your mental attitude right and stay upbeat and positive and proactive, then when you come to the street, you're going to be a tremendous asset to us."

"We are going to be a department that is a big advocate of training," he promised. "The more training you have, the more of a professional you become. The more professional we are, the more capable we are of serving the public. And that's what the bottom line is - public service."

The Sheriff is looking forward to the new training academy that will be up and running during the fall of 2001. "It'll be a state-of-the-art facility," he said. "We will become a regional training center for law enforcement officers. On September 14 we plan to open our new Sheriff's Training Academy on Greensburg Road near the Akron-Canton Airport. It will have three classrooms - including the Firearms Training Center. We have a firearms simulator - which is a decision-making tool. In the simulator, you're in one situation after another where you have to decide fast - shoot or don't shoot?"

The FBI trains certain members of the Sheriff's Office - the Bomb Squad - part of the Elite Evidence Response Team. "Our Bomb Squad is one of the best in the United States, and they have the most advanced equipment - including the Andros Mark VI Robot," the Sheriff added. (The robot weighs about 360 pounds and cost $88,000.) "The Bomb Squad can use the robot in dealing with bomb threats and with hazardous materials as well. The money to buy the robot came from the taxpayers of Summit County. The robot doesn't belong to the Sheriff. It's in service to the people of the County," the Sheriff said.

"The Elite Evidence Response Team and their equipment and expertise are available to help especially the smaller jurisdictions in Summit County that don't have such a Team."

With 412 full-time uniformed deputies - the Summit County Sheriff's Office is one of the largest in Ohio. "We have just about every type of law enforcement tool and training here. That helps us with our recruiting. In fact, we have a waiting list of hundreds of people who want to become deputies."

Sheriff Alexander has a plan for higher standards in the Sheriff's Office. "I want to raise the bar of professionalism. We're going to do that by better training and improved morale. The troops are going to have more input. We're going to listen to them. Here's the way I see it - we (in the administration) work for them. We work for the deputies, the officers. When I tour the County Jail, I ask the deputies on duty there to show me what they do and to teach me what they know. They've been glad to do that. I listen. And they have taught me a lot."

"We need to recognize the work, accomplishments and service of others. Let people hear about the good work our deputies are doing. You'll have deputies who respect themselves - and because of that, they will treat others with respect. Early in my term, I am already seeing an improvement in morale."

"We have two main objectives - to take care of the citizens and to take care of the officers."

To accomplish what he has set out to do, the Sheriff is building a partnership between the citizens and the deputies.

"We are going to involve the citizens in police work. I like the idea of the Citizens Academy where citizens can see police training, even do some training with the police, ride in cruisers and have some hands-on experience. And of course, block clubs should continue."

The Sheriff supports community policing, a partnership between the community and the police as well as community involvement in policing. "I've found out that in police work you need to meet people face-to-face - not just through the window of your cruiser," he said.

The Sheriff also suggests an idea that overlaps community policing. "I've been looking into crime prevention through environmental design. It's clear. One way to prevent crime is through better and smarter design of our homes, our buildings, our public housing and our streets. Just think about the value of the porches on the houses in our older neighborhoods. The people in their homes and on the streets of our County can be and should be part of the policing of their own communities."

Among the citizens that the Sheriff wants to reach out to are the victims of crime. "We're determined to reduce crime and to do a better job of spotting and catching those who commit crimes. But we're not going to forget the victims of crime. We want to be more active with them. We're looking into a grant to fund a program for these citizens."

The Sheriff and his deputies know why they go to work every day. "Our officers are dedicated men and women who want to make a difference," the Sheriff said. "I've been in police work since I joined the Akron Police Department in 1971. I've always wanted to make a difference, too. That's why I'm in public service."

"It all comes down to this - in the decisions we make as law enforcement officers, we must always ask, 'Is this decision ethical? Is it honest? After I make this decision, will others think of me as a person of integrity?' That's the standard. That's the test."