Not all deputies have patrol experience. Because deputies assigned to the Civil/Collections Division are out and about all over the county they are sometimes needed to back up patrol or other agencies. (if you see a JCSO patrol car in the northern tier of the county they are likely either from Civil or Warrants Division) to help deputies assigned to Civil they are now going through additional training to introduce them to patrol. It's a 5 week hands on program that orients them to patrol procedures. All deputies within the Civil/Collections Division will complete the training this year.
The Civil Division is assigned to serve Civil Court documents issued from the various courts of Johnson County. These Courts would include District Court, Magistrate Court, Probate Court, and Juvenile Court. Civil process is also received from other counties within the State of Kansas as well as Out-of-State district courts.
Civil Papers are NOT warrants and do not require an arrest. They are official Court documents notifying persons of civil action being taken by one party against another. The document usually requires the person being served to take some type of action or answer to the courts regarding a specific matter within a given time frame. Deputies are given a who, what & when guideline to follow to help them determine how to serve papers.
Evolution Circle for Civil Process: Plaintiff files suit with the court & the suit goes to the court clerk; clerk sends suit to the Sheriff for service; after service the Sheriff's Office files a return of service with the court clerk; the clerk records the information for the Courts and the Plaintiff is notified.
The purpose of Collections is to carry out duties according to statutes that give the Sheriff authority to collect monies or property on delinquent taxes, insufficient funds from a worthless check and to enforce the laws with in the state of Kansas regarding vehicle registration. 2 Deputies are tasked with these responsibilities.
Approximately 60,000 papers are served yearly. The Sheriff's Office fee to serve these papers? $5.00! Needless to say it's not exactly a revenue producer for the county. The fee will be going up to $10 in 2012 and then up again to $15 in 2013. It doesn't even begin to cover the costs incurred while serving papers.
12 deputies are assigned to the Civil/Collections Division. 2 are dedicated to evictions. 2 to Collections with the remaining deputies handling the other papers. 2 training officers are dedicated to the Civil/Collections Division. Deputies go through a 12 week program to learn how to deliver papers safely and in a respectful manner. Deputies recognize that many times they encounter someone who is at a low point in their life and being served paperwork is not making life easier. Evictions and Protection Orders are the most difficult for deputies to serve (ie difficult on the deputy as well as the individual being served).
Sergeant Deer gave a very detailed presentation with statistics, the Evolution Circle for Civil Process, etc. I didn't write down much because he indicated we could have a copy of the presentation. Once I have that I may update this entry with more information. So, if you're a stats person check back here for more info. If you're not a stats person, well don't worry about checking back for the update. :) (Note: I received a copy of the presentation and have updated some of the stats as well as provided the evolution circle.)
Here are just a few stats from the presentation:
In 2011, 58,948 papers were received by JCSO for service of which 40.208 were served which equates to a 68% service rate. (Service means either the papers were handed to the individual on the notice or left at the residence with someone over the age of 14. If an individual refuses service, the deputy just has to leave the papers at the residence. They don't have to physically hand the papers to the individual.) 2010 - 60,729 papers received, 42,166 served for a 69.6% service rate. 2009 - 63,941 received, 44,151 served for a 69% service rate.
Evictions: In 2011, 3009 Eviction Papers were served which is up from 2764 in 2010. 3108 evictions were served in 2009 and 3455 in 2008. The economy and housing crisis were likely the reasons why the numbers fluctuated so much over the last few years. A video was shown of an example of an eviction where the individuals had vacated the premises and left the property a complete disaster. It is not uncommon for people to be angry about an eviction and leave the property in an unlivable condition. Most evictions are not that dramatic though and the property is left in reparable condition for the next tenants to move in. For a description of the Eviction Process click this link: http://www.jocosheriff.org/civil/Evic_Process.pdf.
Protection from Abuse and Protection from Stalking Orders are what we often think of as Restraining Orders. These are either Emergency, Temporary or Final. These are the only orders that other law enforcement agencies can help serve or execute and it's typically because it's urgent and additional help is needed to get them served quickly. 2289 PFA's filed in JC in 2011, 2470 filed in 2010 and 2591 filed in 2009. 1808 PFS's filed in 2011, 1620 filed in 2010, 1799 filed in 2009.
The Collections Unit is responsible for Vehicle Registration Enforcement and Insufficient Funds collection. In 2011, $309,556.47 was collected on Vehicle Registration Violations for the Treasurer’s office. $83,337.40 was collected on Insufficient Funds and returned to the Treasurer’s office. Deputies from Collections also collect delinquent taxes from Mid-March through early October from the previous tax year. $1,075,731.14 was collected in 2011, $1,482,047.83 in 2010 and $816,961.75 in 2009.
One of the opportunities for volunteers in the Sheriff's office is to assist the Civil/Collections Division. Currently 5 volunteers help out a few hours a day on a regular basis resulting in a savings of $18,906.00 for the Division in 2011 (1027.50 hours donated by volunteers). Why do I have a feeling the different divisions are going to be fighting for volunteers at the conclusion of the academy???
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, I know you are wondering, "What could possibly be scarier than jail?" Well for me, this portion of the academy was the scariest. Jail didn't bother me because... well... it didn't feel real. I have never been arrested. Yeah, I get pulled over a lot and my friends call me a cop magnet but generally I just have silly traffic issues, not something that would get me arrested.
If you have been reading my posts you may have caught that I have had an interaction with a JCSO deputy. I had a traffic issue but there was a little more to it than that. When I got pulled over I was terrified. I had the "deer in the headlights" look because I was thinking worst case scenario... that I was going to be arrested! I had an outstanding civil issue and wouldn't you know it, I got pulled over for a traffic issue by the same deputy who was tasked with getting me to take care of that civil issue. When I saw the deputy's name tag all I could say was "Oh crap!". I didn't understand the difference between a civil issue and criminal. When the deputy explained to me what I needed to do to correct the situation I was relieved because then I understood I wasn't getting arrested.
I didn't get my issue resolved right away and the deputy stayed in contact with me until I did. There were some days that I wasn't very receptive to the deputy's phone call and didn't exactly hide it. Despite my attitude, not one time was the deputy rude to me, not one time! I was impressed by the deputy's calm demeanor and friendliness. I got that issue resolved and was glad to make the phone call to the deputy to say "take me off your list!". I was disappointed to have to leave that as a message; that was one time I actually wanted to talk to the deputy! :-)
What that deputy doesn't know may surprise her but that mistake bothered me. It bothered me so much that I had to do something so that I wouldn't repeat it. Someone once told me, "It's not the mistake that defines you, but how you respond to it." I wasn't going to let that mistake define me. And since only 2 people other than me and the deputy know about it (don't ask, I'm not telling!), it couldn't by itself define me but it would change the path I was on. Had the interaction with the deputy been a negative one I don't know if the outcome would have been the same. It also helped that I was routinely running in to that deputy after the issue had been resolved. Kind of like when you're speeding and you see a cop you feel compelled to slow down... well seeing the deputy served as a reminder to keep moving forward and not repeat history. I won't go in to all the details but since that mistake one of the positive changes in my life is that I have become involved in volunteering.
Volunteering has enriched my life so much! Not only do I get to help people but I have been helped more than words can describe. I went to Joplin to assist after the tornado last year. I have been to numerous fires in KC this year to assist families with basic needs. I spend time at a local animal shelter. All these things have shaped who I am today. And thank goodness for that because I was struck with my own tragedy not too long ago. I recently was affected by a fire. Had that happened a few years ago I would have thought it was the end of the world. But because it happened this year I knew it wasn't. I have an incredible support system in place that has been a tremendous help to me from family to friends to coworkers and all the volunteers I work with. Yeah some days are hard but I know I will get through it because I am a stronger person than I was a few years ago.
I continue to run in to that deputy fairly regularly. We have the same morning coffee habit. I used to hate running in to her! I would turn bright red with embarrassment whenever she said "Good Morning" to me. But I wasn't going to change my morning routine just to avoid her. Now I can't help but grin when I see her. She may not know how that interaction a few years ago shaped my life, but I do........
I don't know if I will pursue volunteer activities with the Sheriff's Office once the academy is over as that wasn't my intention for attending the academy but I will keep an open mind about it. If any of my fellow classmates are reading this I hope you will consider volunteering for the Sheriff's Office if you don't currently volunteer somewhere. I can't even begin to explain how much volunteering has impacted my life!
Well stated :)
ReplyDeleteI loved hearing your story! Thanks for sharing! It's not very often we (police officers) get to hear success stories.
ReplyDelete