Receiving help in a time of need

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." -Vincent Van Gogh.

We recently began investigating a difficult case that was going to require a lot of manpower and resourses. When I placed a call requesting the Southwest Missouri Major Case Squad be activated, I was more than surprised at the response I received! There were more than a dozen investigators from five other law enforcement agencies at the Sheriff's Office within an hour ready to help.

I became a board member of the Major Case Squad shortly after taking office and have been involved in several activations since then, but the response and help I received this last week proved that neighboring agencies are willing to go above and beyond when they are needed.

When a case like the one we were investigating opens, it requires a great deal of manpower right off the bat for interviews, follow-up work, and general investigations.

On this case, we set up a command center at the Sheriff's Office and investigators would receive an assignment from this room. They would go out and complete whatever assignment had been given to them, and then come back to write a report and receive another assignment.

Although most all of the deputies and investigators from Vernon County were called out, we knew as the night moved on that we would need to send some of them home so we would have someone to patrol and take calls the following day. At some point in the middle of the night, I started sending a few of our deputies home. I thanked some of the investigators from other agencies for coming, assuming they would want to go home and get some sleep.

This is when a sheriff from a neighboring county told me that he and some of his investigators were not going home as long as we still needed them. By the next morning, those investigators from other agencies were still there, still helping.

I have talked to other sheriffs and police chiefs in the past about the issues of working cases with limited manpower and resources and many times some investigations can be hindered simply because there are not enough people.

While I was standing in the command room, watching the investigators come and go, and those in the room put facts together, review reports, and give ideas, I realized how much the people from other agencies cared about helping the citizens from this community to solve a crime.

When someone does what is expected of them because it is their job, you get satisfactory work. But when someone does something because they have a passion for it, you get top quality work.

I would like to thank each law enforcement officer that helped the Vernon County Sheriff's Office this week. It was truly work done with a passion for serving the community.

Although there is much work left to be done, what has been done could not have been accomplished without their help.