Retiring Greene County Sheriff Rob McMillen and Democrat, is defending his department’s operations amid criticism from Democratic challenger Ben Picou, while reiterating his endorsement of Republican Chris Weller to succeed him.
Picou, who is a former Sheriff of the county himself, has raised concerns about response times, patrol coverage and conditions at the Greene County Jail in Carrollton. In a recent Facebook post, McMillen said the department’s five full-time deputies and the sheriff serve a county spanning approximately 546 square miles, and response times can vary depending on deputies’ locations and existing calls.
Here is McMillen’s full statement from October 27: “One week from today is the General Election. I am sure everyone is ready for it to be over with, I know that I definitely am. No matter what your politics are, Democrat, Independent or Republican, it’s a sad state of what this country has come to with the mud slinging, unsubstantiated accusations, lies, and distribution of misinformation. This seems to have become the normal, from the highest elected position in our country, on down the line to our local elected offices. Especially, the election to choose my successor as Greene County Sheriff. This very thing is what discourages many good, qualified, educated candidates from seeking election. Who would want to endure such conduct from their opponent, or subject their family to suffer the wrath of reckless behavior demonstrated by their loved one’s opposition.
I would like to commend the campaign that Chris Weller for Sheriff has conducted. Especially, since he is being berated daily by his opponent. He has done what every mature, intelligent and competent candidate should do. Which is to ignore the incompetence and lack of integrity of his opponent. To be honest, that would be a very difficult task for me to do and I hope the voters take that into consideration when they cast their vote next Tuesday.
Chris Weller’s opponent has now resorted to posting comments about the way the Sheriff’s Office is ran currently. Posting comments such as, “There will be no delay in responding to calls”, “All calls will be answered in person and immediately”, “No taking reports over the phone”, “No going home during shift, sleeping so you can be prepared to work another job”, “Patrols will be increased to all parts of the County”, and “No sitting around the Sheriff’s Office or PDs for extended amounts of time”. He also posted comments from a few individuals around our County. Having served as your Sheriff for the past 16 years, I can assure the citizens of Greene County that the Sheriff’s Office answers their calls for service.
Greene County consists of approximately 546 square miles. The Sheriff’s Office has the responsibility of being the primary law enforcement agency to service most of this area and provide assistance when needed to the local police departments throughout the county. We do this with 5 full time deputies and myself. Are there times where the response time takes longer than normal, absolutely. Many factors come into play with response times, such as the location of the deputy, what call the deputy may already be on, what time of the day or night the call comes in, and so on. Do we take desk reports? Absolutely. However, those reports are taken for situations that do not require a law enforcement response. Situations where there is a crime in progress, 911 calls, or other calls for service that necessitates an in person response, are responded to as quickly as the call dictates the response to be. The Sheriff’s Office does patrol the entire county. Even Kane gets patrolled and many arrests are generated from that very village of our county. I have not witnessed deputies sitting around the Sheriff’s Office or Police Department’s for extended periods of time. Has it happened? I’m sure it may have, but if it was a constant problem or issue, I can assure you that I either addressed it or would have addressed it. I’ve seen comments about revamping the jail to get inmates off the floor and improve the safety and conditions of the facility. Well, I put bunk beds in our jail to increase the bed space over 14 years ago. And with the support of the county board, we invested nearly $500,000 in the jail about two years ago, when we replaced the entire sewer system inside the jail, all the way to the city sewer main; and also by replacing the 1974 cell door lock system with a modern electronic lock system.
In closing, is there room for improvement at the Greene County Sheriff’s Office? That answer is 100% yes. My hopes are that Chris Weller will be the one who takes what I have built and builds on it and makes the improvements that he might see needs to be made to keep the sheriff’s office moving forward. I can handle the attacks and jabs, as I am leaving office, but it makes me angry to see the attacks towards my loyal and dedicated deputies, correctional officers and dispatchers.
As you may have noticed, I did not once mention Chris Weller’s opponent by name. I did this intentionally, as I don’t believe that man deserves the slightest mention, good, bad or indifferent. In my opinion, his behavior during this election, has brought nothing but embarrassment and discredit to his service in the many dedicated years to our country and to the law enforcement profession. You as voters have to make the choice as to what kind of Sheriff you want to take the lead on December 1st. To me the choice is crystal clear.”
Picou was sheriff in Greene County from 1974-1982 before returning to Randolph County where he was sheriff there from 1990-2002. Picou is opposed by long-time Greene County Sheriff’s deputy Chris Weller. The general election is November 3.