The remaining three candidates for Barry County sheriff stood side by side on Friday at the Cassville FEMA Event Center, answering questions in a forum in front of a live crowd of about 125.
Attending the event were, in order of filing: Randy Kalbaugh, current Stone County deputy; James Morgan, current captain of criminal investigations division at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office; and Danny Boyd, current sheriff.
Mike McGuire, Cassville police officer, has suspended his campaign. As the withdraw deadline has passed, McGuire will appear on the ballot, but is not actively campaigning and did not participate in the forum.
Questions at the event addressed issues like deputy coverage of the county, lowering the number of repeat offenders, neighborhood watch programs, employee retention, budgeting, transparency and opioid distribution.
The opening question posed to candidates asked the most important tool the sheriff has to keep residents safe.
All three candidates noted the importance of being active in the community, available to residents and working scenes as much as possible.
Regarding coverage of the county by deputies, Kalbaugh stressed dividing the county into districts to avoid multiple deputies being in the same area at the same time. Boyd, in the only requested rebuttal of the event, commented dividing coverage in such a way would be a challenge with the number of officers on per shift.
When it came to lowering the number of repeat offenders, especially those charged with non-violent property crimes, Morgan said he would work closely with the prosecutor to come up with plans of action for individuals who are arrested more frequently.
All three candidates lauded neighborhood watch programs — eight of which have been started in the area recently — saying they help the Sheriff’s Office know better what is going on in each community.
“Neighborhood watches help the Sheriff’s Office tremendously because it helps us to know what you see,” Kalbaugh said. “I want a watch in each of our small communities and plan to attend meetings with deputies and work closely with each one.”
“Neighborhood watches are a must,” Morgan said. “The more we work together, the more we can help fix our issues.”
“We had zero neighborhood watches when I came into office,” Boyd said. “We go to their meetings and they are active, and we’ve seen they are effective because crime rates are going down in those areas.”
With a new jail set to open in coming months, a reliable jail administrator and retaining corrections officers will be on the sheriff’s shoulders.
“The jail administrator and correctional officers are very important because the sheriff is not able to do both, run the office and run the jail,” Morgan said.
“The jail administrator has to be firm, because people in jail tear things up — that’s been a battle,” Boyd said.
“The jail administrator has a lot to worry about between the inmates and correctional officers,” Kalbaugh said. “Training and going in and telling them they are doing a good job, giving them value, is how to keep them.”
Regarding retention of employees, all three candidates pointed to training and equipment as the biggest factors, leading directly into the next question, asking candidates to list their top three training topics. Each candidate’s first training topic alluded to improving communication on the scene, training deputies to listen and be respectful with they arrive, then use learned communication skills to properly handle a situation.
All three also said more training on crime report writing would be essential, as deputies typically only have their original report to reference when they have to testify in court sometimes months after the fact.
Kalbaugh also brought up courtroom testimony training, Morgan mentioned better training for property crime investigations, and Boyd emphasized making sure residents know deputies care about them.
Another number-centered question asked the candidates’ top three priorities when budgeting the $4.2 million Sheriff’s Office.
Morgan listed hiring more deputies, getting new equipment and focusing on a School Resource Officer program as priorities. Boyd prioritized more equipment, raising wages and a focus on retention. Kalbaugh listed personnel. equipment and community outreach, some kind of activity or program for residents, as priorities.
The forum closed with an emotional question for some, asking candidates how they plan to curb opioid use and distribution given the number of rising overdose deaths.
“Fentanyl is the biggest cause of that because they are lacing everything with it,” Morgan said. “People bring it here and distribute, and we need to stop it before it comes in. We need a drug task force to fight the drug problem head-on.”
“Drug abuse is serious, and I want to start a citizens academy to teach people to be educated about drugs and their effects,” Kalbaugh said.
“Everyone knows everyone in Barry County, so a drug task force of Barry County people is difficult because they are easily recognized,” Boyd said. “We see it coming in from the border and from Oklahoma, and we need stiffer laws for repeat offenders.”
All three candidates shook hands following the forum, and there were no disruptions from the audience over the nearly hour-long event.
Publisher’s Note
“I want to thank the Cassville and Barry County community for their attendance and support of their candidates at the Barry County Sheriff Candidates Forum on Friday,” said Kyle Troutman, owner/publisher of the Cassville Democrat. “We were very proud to put on an educational event that I hope has helped residents determine their vote for sheriff.
“We did have a sound issue with the livestream, as the candidates were placed under an air conditioning vent, the noise from which made it difficult to hear on the stream. We are learning from that experience and hope to improve it greatly at our Northern Commissioner Candidates Forum this Thursday. We hope to see many of you at the FEMA Event Center again at 7 p.m. for another night of political information delivery.”
