Opinion : Letter to the Editor: Support for Ted Paxton

To whom it may Concern.

I urge that Ted Paxton be elected Sheriff of Benton County, Iowa. I have known Ted for the past 14 years and I am positive he has all the personal attributes and professional experience to excel in this important position.

There is a crying need for a new hand at the wheel in the Benton County Sheriff's Office. Ted has the necessary education and experience to excel at this very important position. Ted has all the prerequisite skills that indicates to me that he would do an outstanding job as the Benton County Sheriff. He worked for 10 years in the stressful and demanding role as the Chief of Police of Vinton, Iowa. He served 15 years in Eldora Police Department, as an officer, Captain and Chief of Police.

He has already started making concrete plans, should he be elected. He would start public announcements of any significant criminal activity in Benton County. It is meaningful, substantial forward thinking such as this that tells me he would turn around a problem office. From this solid foundation, he has plans to expand and improve services to Benton County residents. His top priorities include:

-- increase law enforcement presence at area schools

-- expand educational opportunities for residents

-- increase traffic enforcement to lower fatality accidents

-- implement strategies to better engage residents in rural Benton County

-- implementation of technology to enhance investigations and security in rural Benton County

I am uniquely qualified to endorse Ted. I served 22 years active duty in the US Air Force and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the security police career field with 550 officers and airmen. I then served 11 years as the Chief of Police of the City of Waterloo, Iowa with 137 sworn officers. For the past 17 years I have been a Professor of Criminal Justice and Philosophy at Ellsworth Community College. I have a Master's Degree in Public Administration and Philosophy.

I urge that Ted Paxton be elected as the Benton County Sheriff.

Sincerely,

Bernal F. Koehrsen, Jr.