There are new sheriffs in town

By ART BUKOWSKI
abukowski@record-eagle.com

January 06, 2009 11:34 am

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TRAVERSE CITY -- Day One represented Tom Bensley's trial by fire.

Grand Traverse County's new sheriff dealt with a serious traffic crash in Garfield Township on Friday, his first full day on the job. And he fielded a few complaints, one from a man who called to "vent" at the freshly minted sheriff.

Bensley also tackled a mountain of little things. He learned the basics of his department computer and how to dial out on his phone. He figured out the locations of office supplies, and made sure he had keys for his office and the rest of the department.

When it was said and done, he'd worked about 12 hours.

"There wasn't much chance to settle in," he said. "It was very busy."

Bensley is one of several new sheriffs in the region. All previously worked in some form or another for their respective departments, but all know they face a learning curve.

Benzie County Sheriff Rory Heckman served as undersheriff for now-retired Sheriff Bob Blank until Jan. 1. Blank was "extremely accommodating" during the transition, Heckman said, at times allowing him to wet his feet by determining the department's course of action.

"The last month, he's been the sheriff, but he's held off and let me make decisions on a lot of things," Heckman said.

Bensley said he chose to give departing Grand Traverse Sheriff Scott Fewins some space, though Fewins was helpful during the change.

"Sheriff Fewins was very open and very congenial, but I purposely did not come in until a couple weeks ago to start the transition because it was Sheriff Fewins' office and I did not want to impose on him," said Bensley, who defeated Fewins in the August primary election.

Antrim County Sheriff Dan Bean said he didn't get much help from incumbent Terry Johnson, whom he also defeated in August. Bean was Johnson's undersheriff, but Johnson fired Bean shortly after Bean announced he'd run against his boss.

"Terry hasn't been around. He hasn't been around at all," Bean said. "I had one meeting with him for about 20 minutes, but that was it."

Heckman, Bean and Bensley now must assess their departments to figure out what, if anything, needs to be changed. They already have some ideas. Bean, for instance, wants to expand his department administration's office hours and retool patrols so officers are more visible and more accessible.

"When I ran, it was about getting back to grassroots and doing those basic patrols again, and that's what we're going to do," Bean said. "Most of the time we're driving through communities. I think it's time we need to stop and talk to people."

Heckman wants to unify his department by holding a series of meetings in which he'll deliberately integrate corrections officers, road patrol deputies and other employees.

"They're all going to hear the message: 'We're all in this together, and we're all going to pull together,'" Heckman said.

He'll also focus on pushing hard for a jail millage renewal scheduled for the May election.

"That is the most critical business we've got to address, and these tough economic times don't help the matter whatsoever," he said.

Bensley wants to bring back the department's now-defunct snowmobile and off-road vehicle programs that assigned deputies to police those activities. He also wants to improve communication with the local media. Beyond that, he's still assessing his department's operations.

"I don't have any preconceived notion of what's right and what's wrong until I actually get a chance to find out what's going on," he said.

But each has some idea of what is and isn't working well.

"You kind of see what's going on, where you need some extra help and what things need some TLC," said Kalkaska County Sheriff Dave Israel, who until Jan. 1 was a detective sergeant in that department. Israel defeated incumbent Sheriff Bill Artress in November.

The sheriffs plan to try to be accessible and well-known the community, they said. Bensley on Friday met with the two Grand Traverse County commissioners he hadn't already met, and Heckman plans to stop by township, city and organizational meetings in Benzie to make his face known.

"I think it's going to be important for them to get to know me well, so if there's a problem or an issue, they won't hesitate to call me," he said.

The new sheriffs face identical challenges: reduced funding and tight budgets. For them, perhaps even more so than their predecessors, it's time to squeeze the most out of every penny.

"We're going to do more with less," Heckman said. "It's a sign of the times."

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