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CLOUDY Temp: 45 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Wednesday, February 19, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend January 22, 2003 Winters sets goal: customer service Reorganization and shift changes will increase patrols By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Customer service will be the focus of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department under the administration of Sheriff Mike Winters. "Our goal is to handle every call for service," Winters said. "We’re looking at (the department) as a business, and customer service is important." Joined by the newly appointed Capt. Joe Puckett, Winters unveiled his goals for the department at a press conference Tuesday morning. Several strategies developed by the new administration will allow sheriff’s deputies to answer more and more calls in the county, they said. Winters isn’t just making the plans. He and other management-level officers personally will respond in uniform when deputies on the road have more calls than they can handle, he said. Response time also will be cut down with deputies assigned to outlying areas, Winters said. "We don’t want to respond from Prospect to (a call in) Applegate," he said. Plagued in the past by a shortage of deputies on the road, the sheriff’s department’s patrol plan has been redefined with deputies stationed in several core coverage areas and outlying locations rather than roving around the county. A van that shuttles suspects to the jail from a crime scene also will free up deputies’ time. A trip from a rural location to the jail can take hours, leaving a patrol area unmanned, Winters said. Staffing shortages will ease once deputies start working 12-hour shifts three days a week beginning in March. The department’s deputies now are spread out over three eight-hour shifts every day. The change essentially will give the department 30 percent more employees on a shift, Winters said, adding that he believes sick time will decrease with deputies getting the rest they need on their days off. To assist deputies, the department is looking to recruit volunteer reserve officers who will control traffic at accident and crime scenes, recover property and patrol certain areas on bicycles and on foot, Winters said. "We’re counting on them to provide non-essential services," Winters said. In addition, the sheriff said he hopes to promote mutual aid agreements with smaller agencies. If a municipal police department handles a call just outside the city limits, the sheriff’s department will back them up on calls in town, he said. "I’m not worried about the boundaries, I’m worried about serving the people," Winters said. The changes are expected to boost the department’s approval rating with county residents, Winters said. The county plans to conduct a survey to determine residents’ opinions about rural law enforcement, he said. "We’re shooting to increase (approval) by our efforts," Winters said. "We’re going to give everybody 110 percent of our available resources." Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S