JOHNSON LIBERTY
| JOHNSON LIBERTY!!! FIGHTING FOR YOUR RIGHTS IN JOHNSON COUNTY AND THE REST OF THE WORLD |
| JOHNSON LIBERTY LEAD A CHARGE TO PASS THE NEW SHERIFF'S CENTER AUG 3RD.!! JOHNSON LIBERTY COVERAGE IN THE NEWS DAILY STAR JOURNAL COVERAGE JULY 20, 2010 DAILY STAR JOURNAL COVERAGE JULY 27, 2010 DAILY STAR JOURNAL COVERAGE JULY 30, 2010 DAILY STAR JOURNAL COVERAGE AUG 02, 2010 DAILY STAR JOURNAL COVERAGE AUG 03, 2010 DAILY STAR JOURNAL COVERAGE AUG 04, 2010 PRESS RELEASE/LETTERS SENT TO AREA PAPERS LETTER TO THE EDITOR PUBLISHED JULY 30, 2010 LINK TO DAILY STAR JOURNAL EDITORIAL Tour of jail revealing I have toured both the current building where our sheriff's department is attempting to serve our county's law enforcement needs, and have toured the new facility. I wish every voter could have taken advantage of the open houses the department has held in the past to see for themselves why it is time for we the residents of Johnson County to take action as quickly as possible. I have spoken with lots of people that are opposed to the ballot issue on principle. Most have never seen for themselves why this is a serious issue. None have come up with anything resembling a better plan. Even stripping down the previous plans presented to the voters in previous votes will not get us a better deal for our tax dollars or better cover the future needs of the county. We want our county protected from crime, but with the current law enforcement center, the deputies do not have the room and facilities to conduct adequate investigations, and we are jeopardizing their health by exposing them to the mold, mildew, and other safety and sanitation issues. We already have officers out on sick leave way too often due to the conditions. I have publicly taken a stand against the last tax increase proposals ... and still am loathe to ever endorse a tax increase, especially in this down economy, but this problem has come to a point where we the citizens of Johnson County must deal with it responsibly, and the current proposal is by far the more advantageous to the taxpayers versus those we rejected in past elections. This is not about which political party controls the sheriff's office or the county commission. This is a nonpartisan health and maintenance hazard that we as a county must face head on. It will be on your ballot no matter which party's ballot you choose Tuesday. It will not go away if we stick our head in the sand yet again. It is the time for we the people - who are the true employers and protectors of our county employees, and upon whom our employees rely for their health and safety - to do the responsible thing for our employees and take them out of harm's way, and vote yes on the sheriff's department ballot question Aug. 3. Randy Langkraehr, Warrensburg ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Letter to the editor by Steven Hedrick LINK TO DAILY STAR JOURNAL EDITORIAL I agree with the other letters in support of the new jail plan going before the voters on August 3rd, but want to make a point that I haven't seen anyone else bring up. The Integrity Correctional Center was a private jail set out in the country in the middle of Johnson County. Their were lots of problems with the private jail facility reported, even though it sounds like the people running the company were pretty responsible and community minded individuals. If Johnson County does not purchase the new facility, what will happen to it? That is up to the company that owns the facility who are trying to get it sold as soon as they can. They can sell it to whomever they want. They may sell it to the first person who has the money to invest and we have no control over who will operate it then. We may get new owners of the facility that will only care about profits who will cut any corner to save money and won't care about the safety and concerns of the residents of Johnson County. The only way to insure that this facility will never be a poorly run private jail in Johnson County is for Johnson County to buy and convert this facility into the new properly run Johnson County Sheriff's facility. Please vote yes this time. Steven Hedrick ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Press Release: Immediate Johnson Liberty Contact: Randy Langkraehr Address: PO Box 1099, Warrensburg Phone: 660-429-1099 Email: randylangkraehr@yahoo.com Johnson Liberty, the political committee that was instrumental in defeating the county wide zoning issue last November, endorsed the jail issue at a meeting on July 20th. Committee Treasurer Randy Langkraehr stated “I have toured both the current building from where we are trying to run the sheriff’s department and jail and toured the new facilities. The new facility will not be a country club for the prisoners, nor should it ever be. Prison is prison. It is the necessary minimum that we need to operate the Johnson County Sheriff’s department adequately and efficiently. The old facility, with its mold and sanitation problems and security issues is multiple lawsuits waiting to happen. It’s unsafe and unhealthy for both staff and prisoners. The facilities for our sheriff’s deputies to investigate cases and provide law enforcement for the county are woefully inadequate. We want our county protected from crime, but with the current law enforcement center, the deputies do not have the room and facilities to conduct adequate investigations, and we are jeopardizing their health exposing them to the mold and mildew. We already have officers out on sick leave way to often due to the conditions. We expect our sheriff and deputies to protect us and yet we not giving them the resources to do so and are putting them in harms way. I have publicly taken a stand against the last tax increases and helped defeat them when this issue has come up in the past, and still am loathe to ever endorse a tax increase, especially in this down economy, but this problem has come to a point where we must deal with it responsibly, and that the current proposal is by far the more advantageous to the taxpayers than those rejected in past elections.” Committee member Bill Wayne says, “We are generally very reluctant to endorse tax increases. In this case, we believe that the jail is a legitimate government function, and that purchasing the private jail is the best option available to solve a serious problem. I toured the current jail several years ago; since then I’ve referred to it as the ‘black hole of Calcutta.’” |
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