Corsicana —
Tanner promises positive direction
Elmer Tanner, who’s running as a Republican for the office of Navarro County Sheriff, is a captain with the sheriff’s office in charge of the drug task force.
He isn’t ready to divulge what changes, if any, he’ll make to the sheriff’s department should he be elected, but he says he’ll commit to making changes that are necessary.
“If I am fortunate enough to be elected by the citizens of Navarro County, then at that time I will evaluate the entire department as a whole and make necessary changes that will be beneficial to the department and the citizens of Navarro County,” he stated.
“As I have said from day one, I will strive to move our agency forward and provide our citizens and our youth a safer place to live, work and go to school. As your sheriff, I will commit myself to honorably perform my duties with respect for all citizens of Navarro County, with integrity and the courage to fight what is wrong, and the wisdom to apply common sense and fairness,” Tanner stated.
If elected, he intends to continue making improvements to the department, and begin new professional working relationships, he said.
“We can point to many positive things inside the sheriff’s department, many of which I have been a part of, but I maintain there is still room for improvement,” he said.
Asked about how he’d like to address the high rate of burglaries in the county, Tanner said remaining diligent in policing communities, and working with crime watch programs, and continuing community awareness.
“I will strive to enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Navarro County through teamwork and mutual cooperation between the community and the Sheriff’s Department; to provide the most qualified, well-trained, and educated offices in the county; to preserve the peace, enforce the law, thus providing a safe environment for all the citizens of Navarro County,” he said.
Tanner, 49, began with the sheriff’s office in 1989 as a jailer. He’s worked in the jail and dispatch, patrol, narcotics, detective and SWAT. He and his wife Mandy have two teen-aged children.
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Barlow seeks changes in Sheriff’s Department
John Barlow, who’s running as a Democrat for Navarro County Sheriff, sees some distinct differences between himself and his opponent.
“I plan on making improvements,” Barlow said. “I think the citizens need better protection and the deputies need better training. Criminals are always improving, and we need to improve also.”
Barlow’s training regime would include having jailers trained as patrol officers, and patrolmen trained in forensics. Having the jailers trained would also help when there are openings in the force, he said.
“Right now, we’ve got excellent officers, we’re just not utilizing them to their fullest potential,” Barlow said. “We’ve got to be progressive, and aggressive.”
The issue of county burglaries is one that Barlow has thought about, and he would like to institute community policing, which is putting patrol officers in the community and having them slow down and talk to the residents they meet.
“Who knows their community better than the people who live there?” he asked.
A computer program, or even a map with push-pins, might help highlight areas being hit most often, so patrols could be stepped up there, and Barlow thinks better communication would also help clear cases as police and sheriff’s offices share information.
Barlow would also like to see the county institute a property ID system, which would allow people to mark their valuable possessions, giving pawn shops and police a starting place in finding owners.
The link between burglaries and drugs is another area where community policing could help by pinpointing the users and sellers, he said.
“Everything goes hand in hand,” he said. “It’s all about basic common sense things I think people think we’re already doing and we’re not.”
Barlow would also like to see one single dispatch center for the City of Corsicana and the county, to increase efficiency and save money.
A former Corsicana firefighter, Navarro County constable and sergeant with TCJC, Barlow and his wife Aronda have three sons.
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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jjacobs@corsicanadailysun.com. Want to “sound off” to this article? E-mail: Soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com
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