ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 13, 1995 TAG: 9512130050
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BEDFORD
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
HE'S KEEPING every employee who wants to stay. But that doesn't mean the Bedford County Sheriff's Office is going to stay the same.
There's a rumor that Bedford County Sheriff-elect Mike Brown is going to clean house and bring in a whole new staff when he takes office Jan. 1. But by now, Brown hopes everybody knows that's all it is - just a rumor.
"There was concern and apprehension, I know," said Brown, who was to be sworn in as sheriff today at 9:30 a.m. in Bedford County Circuit Court. "But as I stated then, that's absolute absurdity, and it still is."
Brown says every old employee will have a job if he or she wants one. He has received applications from about 110 employees - all but the three who are retiring.
Only three officers - two lieutenants and a sergeant - will be new, he said. All are former law enforcement officers from other agencies. The rest of the positions will be staffed by present employees, though Brown is interviewing them to see if they are in the jobs best suited for them.
Between interviews Tuesday, Brown took time to talk about the transition between his administration and that of retiring Sheriff Carl Wells, Bedford's top lawman since 1974.
"It's been very smooth," Brown said. "Sheriff Wells has been very gracious in all areas. It probably couldn't have gone any better."
Brown has spent the past several weeks reorganizing the sheriff's office to fit his view of modern law enforcement. It will be high tech, according to the former federal law agent, who said his office will be "online" and "user friendly."
"It's not going to be like Flash Gordon, but we'll be staying abreast of current technology in the criminal justice field," he said. That includes the county's enhanced 911 system, scheduled to be activated late next year, as well as a computerized reporting system that will help identify trends in crime.
The most immediate change citizens will see? "Personal appearance and demeanor," Brown said. Deputies will be required to wear hats outside their cars and pay more attention to dress uniform. And, he said, his employees will present a more courteous face to the public.
As for the department's hierarchy, Brown said, "It'll be a very clear organization of authority." Immediately below the sheriff will be the chief deputy, a slot that is still vacant, Brown said. Below that will be three lieutenants, who will be in charge of corrections, field services, and administration.
Other changes will include a heightened presence on Smith Mountain Lake, where deputies will begin a water patrol in May. And training for Brown's volunteer Citizens On Patrol, essentially a mobile Neighborhood Watch, will begin in about six months, he said.
As for manpower, which has been a key problem in the fast-growing county, Brown said he hopes to receive state funding for a new deputy by summer. He said he will ask the Board of Supervisors about additional funding for deputies.
And to make sure deputies stay with the sheriff's office instead of taking potentially higher-paying jobs with the state police or other state agencies, Brown will start a "master deputy" rank. By meeting strict job-quality and training standards, qualified deputies could receive up to a 10 percent pay raise.
The sheriff's office itself may change, too. Brown said the administrative building and dispatch center "is very cramped and very congested" - not to mention its out-of-the-way location in the industrial district.
He'd like to see a new complex built outside the city near the county nursing home off U.S. 460.
"It's a slow process," Brown said of the transition. "But we're confident some good things are going to take place."
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Brown. color.by CNB