SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
May 22, 2015
Sullivan’s
Salvos 5/26/15
In this edition:
*Bernie Sanders in Iowa City
*Cameras
*Juvenile Justice Youth Development
*Public Health Survey
*”Knowing What We Know Now”
*Did You Know?
*Bernie Sanders in Iowa City
Vermont
Senator and Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders will be making an appearance
in Iowa City!
Senator
Sanders will appear at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center in Iowa City on
Saturday, May 30 at 10 AM. The event is free and open to the public, but
seating will be limited.
I
am going to have the honor of introducing Senator Sanders. I am excited to hear
what he has to say! I hope you are, too!
*Cameras
The
Board of Supervisors and Sheriff’s Office have had some discussions recently
about the use of cameras. Some have advocated for speed cameras. Some Sups have
advocated for cameras that monitor the Admin Building. Some want new cameras in
the Courthouse and Jail. We have cameras that monitor ballots. We have
dashboard cameras in squad cars, and cameras in SEATS busses. Personally, I am
excited about the proposition of body cameras on our officers.
So
is one use of cameras good, and all others bad? That seems to be the opinion of
some folks, but I tend to disagree. In each case, people out in the public are
being filmed. One may argue that this is all good or all bad, but I fail to see
how one set of cameras is morally superior to another. Everybody hates having
the camera on them, and everybody loves the camera when it catches the person
who harmed them. As a public, and often as individuals, we are pretty
inconsistent in our feelings on surveillance.
In
my mind, the key to all of this is good policies. We need to take feedback from
experts, users, privacy advocates, unions, the public, etc. and incorporate
that feedback into our policies. And we need to be willing to revisit the
policies if something is not working.
Trust
me, coming up with policies will not be easy. Say an officer gets video of a
man sexually abusing a woman. Is that video now public record? Does the victim
get any say?
What
if an officer does not turn the camera on? Should she be disciplined? How long
must video be maintained? Who gets access to review it? Can it be copied? Who
gets to edit it? And how much will all this cost? All these questions deserve
careful consideration.
Now
is the time. Some cameras are already in use. Others are on the way. Let’s get
this right.
*Juvenile Justice Youth Development
Johnson
County has a long tradition of supporting Juvenile Justice and Youth
Development (JJYD). It all began roughly 20 years ago when Jim Swaim, then the
Director of UAY, secured a large federal grant that required a local match of
$200,000. Johnson County set up an advisory group, and provided the match for
the duration of the grant. The federal money disappeared about ten years ago,
but the advisory group lives on, and Johnson County has continued to provide
$200,000 annually toward JJYD programming.
I
happen to believe this $200,000 investment makes a lot of sense. If a child
ends up in detention services, the county is on the hook for about $275 per
day. I would much rather spend money attempting to prevent a child from getting
to detention.
Additionally,
there is quite a bit of evidence that shows these investments work. Johnson
County has much lower rates of detention use than other counties our size, and
juvenile crime rates are better as well. I believe at least part of this is our
JJYD investment.
Recently,
local child service providers, community members, County staff, and County
Supervisors came together to discuss the ways in which this $200,000 ought to
be spent. Obviously, reasonable people can disagree.
I
just hope that we choose to go down a path that values the input of child
service providers. These folks are our partners. They are also experts. If we
need to make a decision on a car, we tend to ask mechanics for advice. If we
need to make a decision on our health, we go to a doctor for advice. Legal
question? Consult a lawyer. I would like to see our partner child service
agencies viewed as possessing this same level of expertise. Because they do.
Does
this mean I feel we should do whatever the child service providers want? Of
course not. Our job is to provide oversight, and I’ll do that. But I think it
would be a huge mistake to ignore the expertise available in our community.
These folks care deeply for our children – I want to know what they think!
Most
importantly, I am extremely pleased that we decided to not only maintain but
increase the $200,000 commitment going forward. As Supervisor Rettig pointed
out, we can demonstrate that the program is saving money. Why not roll some of
those savings into a larger investment? I think JJYD has been a positive
investment on your behalf, and I think a larger investment will be even better.
*Public Health Survey
Johnson
County Public Health is involved in a Community Health Needs Assessment. This information
will be used to help Johnson County Public Health to identify and address the
health needs of our community.
Please
take a moment to fill out the online questionnaire, and please feel free to
forward it to others. The link is below:
http://tinyurl.com/JoCoEspanolEcuesta
*”Knowing What We Know Now”
As
GOP Presidential candidates discuss the Iraq War, we continue to hear the
phrase, “Knowing what we know now…”
Let
me be clear – a LOT of us – MILLIONS of us – knew the Iraq War was a bad idea
AT THAT TIME. There is no need for revisionist history. Many, many people
disagreed with President Bush at that time, including President Obama.
We
should have NEVER gone into Iraq. And we knew that at the time. GOP
Presidential candidates will never acknowledge this fact, but those of us who
opposed the war were right.
*DID YOU KNOW?
The first elected office Bernie Sanders held was Mayor of Burlington,
Vermont. Sanders won that first race by ten votes.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"Sullivan’s
Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a
brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
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come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the
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As always,
feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to
serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 2:26 PM
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