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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2016)
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Kozowski seeks change in sheriff’s office By Craig Rullman Correspondent Two candidates will face off this November in an elec- tion to decide who will be Deschutes County Sheriff. Eric Kozowski is challenging appointed incumbent Shane Nelson for the post. Kozowski is passionate about his reasons for running for sheriff, citing what he con- siders a culture of nepotism inside the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office which has, in part, led to a string of recent high-profile firings and resig- nations among the command staff — and no shortage of public embarrassment. For Kozowski — who told The Nugget that if he is elected, “The public would see very little change” from the outside — this season’s cam- paign is focused on improving conditions inside the DCSO. Kozowski, married for 25 years, with a daughter in col- lege, is an Oregon native, and has served with DCSO for six years as a patrol deputy, after an impressive career at the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office, where he was in part responsible for obtain- ing the agency’s largest-ever grant, $350,000, to overhaul the county communication system. W h i l e a t Wa l l o w a , Kozowski also rebuilt the agency’s reserve deputy pro- gram, and was the lead inves- tigator on several high-profile criminal investigations — including a double-homicide that resulted in a conviction. Prior to working for Wallowa County, Kozowski co-founded an information technology company serving Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Western Montana, which was eventually acquired by IT giant NTT. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a combat engineer. Kozowski believes many of the DCSO’s current prob- lems are the result of a failed leadership culture and “good old boy” network that has existed inside the agency for years, pointing to the recent firing and arrest of Scott Beard, a former DCSO Captain. “If you want to get any- They (the employees) know where the problems are, and they know how to fix them. — Eric Kozowski where (inside DCSO) you have to ride on somebody’s coattails. A lot of the employ- ees are so frustrated with that situation, hard working people who do the job well, who get passed over time and time again,” he told The Nugget. On the current Sheriff’s handling of the recent string of resignations and firings: “I was hoping beyond hope that Shane was going to be the guy to start making signifi- cant changes, starting July 1 (the day Nelson took over as Sheriff from previous Sheriff Larry Blanton). I’ve always liked him, he’s a nice guy, personable.” But Kozowski cites a marked lack of transparency in the investigation, which now includes the discovery that Beard’s background file is missing. “Nothing’s changing,” says Kozowski. “He’s only addressing things he’s forced to address.” Kozowski cites inefficien- cies in the Sheriff’s office that he would change as Sheriff, pointing specifically to the ratio of supervisors to depu- ties, which currently stands at one supervisor for every three employees. “Where, anywhere, does that make sense?” Kozowski asks, saying that this ratio is “bloated,” and “not a wise use of our money,” and con- tributes to a culture of “over- supervision” of subordinates inside the department. That over-supervision, Kozowski says, has led to a progressive decline in morale within the agency. With 80 percent of the sheriff’s budget dedicated to personnel, Kozowski says the ratio is also evidence of fiscal irresponsibility. “Having so many super- visors is costing us roughly $600,000 annually … that money translates into six dep- uty positions, or obviously, more support positions. It’s just not fiscally responsible, we have supervisors trying to justify their existence.” On the subject of Sisters and the City’s current contract for law-enforcement services, Kozowski told The Nugget he believes that in some ways rural residents are being short- changed in services, with dep- uties required by the contract to spend three-quarters time in Sisters itself. He believes that requirement may be reducing response times in both direc- tions, as deputies are often tasked to provide backup out- side the city limits. As sheriff, he would re- evaluate how the department’s patrol districts are aligned, seeking out inefficiencies in the current deployment program. When asked about aver- age response times in Sisters itself, Kozowski indicated that outside of the department’s computer-aided dispatch, the numbers aren’t likely tabu- lated regularly. For Kozowski, the prob- lems with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office are largely internal, but he also believes the solutions can be found there. He refers to the many hard-working depu- ties, and civilian support staff. “What we all want is a good, healthy, fun place to work that serves the citizens well. We have a lot of good employees, but we are all see- ing the same thing (regard- ing misconduct). How are these people getting into these positions?” For Kozowski, the neces- sary resources are already in place, it is proper leadership that is lacking. “They (the employees) know where the problems are, and they know how to fix them. But I don’t think any- body’s ever asked them,” he said. Golfing for the National Guard Golfers can take a shot at over $55,000 in prizes while supporting the National Guard this month. Bend Elks Baseball, Classic Rock 98.3 “The Twins,” NewsTalk FM 100 KBND, New Country 99.7 “The Bull” and Aspen Lakes Golf Course are hosting the first Golfing for the Guard Tournament, May 27, in Sisters. The tourney will raise money for the Oregon National Guard Emergency Relief Fund with a round of golf on the beautiful Aspen Lakes Golf Course. Oregon National Guard members deployed to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Plus, each player will have a chance to take home over $55,000 in prizes — like a new Harley-Davidson Softail Slim S motorcycle from Wildhorse Harley-Davidson on Hole #8; a Bayliner Boat from All Seasons RV & Marine on Hole #15; a snor- kel scissor lift from Elite Forklift Services on Hole #12 or a portable golf cart speaker from Skull Candy for longest drive on Hole #10. Register as a team or individual at www. GolfingfortheGuard.us. Music Night! Every Friday through June 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Cork Cellars! Sponsored by: 541-549-9631 7 SISTERS RENTAL 506 N. Pine St., Sisters Mon-Fri: 7 am-5 pm | Sat: 8 am-4:30 pm chainsawsatsistersrental.com