SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
August 2, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 8/6/26
In this edition:
*Jail Bond Discussion
*Measuring Success
*Incarceration Rates
*Consequential – Disasters
*Salvos Salutes – 2013
*Did You Know?
*Jail Bond Discussion
The Board had an interesting discussion at our July 29, 2026 meeting. I urge you to watch it for yourself. You can see it at:
https://johnson-county.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=3736
The conversation starts at about 11 minutes in, and goes until about 1:10, so it is almost an hour. Please watch and share.
*Measuring Success
Johnson County recently underwent a Strategic Planning process. One thing we never discussed at all, that I believe is a missed opportunity: we should be talking with Department Heads and Elected Officials about metrics.
Some Departments have natural examples – Ambulance has targeted response times. Do we meet them or not? If the percentages of times we are meeting the metrics are slipping, what do we need to do to move things the other direction? Additional staff? Additional training? Additional vehicles? Additional locations?
This metric drives just about everything in Ambulance, as it should. I think Secondary Roads has some similar (though a bit less defined) metrics. So does the Medical Examiner’s Office. So does SEATS. The more difficult Departments to measure are probably Social Services and Planning, Development, and Sustainability.
I’d love to see each Department Head and Elected Official have some metrics as a part of their annual goals. We have invested a lot in technology; we should be on the cusp of being able to do this. I am sad it never got discussed as part of our recent strategic plan. I hope future Boards will see the value, and work toward this goal.
*Incarceration Rates
I did some research on the incarceration rates for various counties in the US. This was an interesting exercise. First, one has to pull apart prison totals from jail totals. Then you have to make sure they are counting the same things. So it took some effort.
Johnson County has about 90 people in custody each day. We have a population of about 165,000. That means we have an incarceration rate of about 55 people per 100,000 population.
This compares quite favorably within the State of Iowa. We are much lower than other urban counties, while some rural counties have much lower rates still. I looked at data for all 3000+ counties in the USA, and found some interesting stuff.
The lowest incarceration rates – by far – are in counties where very few people live. For example, the lowest rate in Iowa belongs to Shelby County (County Seat Harlan) in far Western Iowa. Shelby County is home to just over 10,000 folks, and has an incarceration rate of .8 per 100,000. Yes, less than one person per 100,000!
But those of you who know statistics will understand – this is where things get interesting. Adams County (County Seat Corning), Iowa’s least populous county, has a rate of 100 per 100,000! Does Adams County have over 100 times the crime of Shelby County? Well, during this time period it did. But the numbers are so small that they do not lend themselves to much statistical significance. It just so happened that Adams County averaged 4 people in custody during a period where Shelby County averaged less than one person. That could change dramatically with a single incident.
And Shelby County, Iowa is similar to many of the other very rural, low population counties across the US. Heck, a few counties had incarceration rates of zero! Is this because they have elaborate diversion programs? No. It is because there just isn’t a lot happening in those areas. Good for them. But I don’t think there is much to be learned from this.
So, how about some of the most liberal counties in the USA? (I am defining “liberal” as lowest percentage of the population voting for Donald Trump.) Using that metric, I get some of the “usual suspect” counties.
Suffolk County, MA (home to most of Boston) has a rate of 350 per 100k. That was highest on my list. The District of Columbia has a rate of 293 per 100k. Brooklyn, NY sits at about 180. Los Angeles County, CA (the most populous county in the USA) has a rate of 140 per 100k. Alameda County, CA is similar at 137. Multnomah, County, Oregon (home to Portland) has a rate of 125 per 100k. Only King County, Washington (home to Seattle) comes close to approaching our rate, with a rate of about 75 per 100k.
Is it possible that these very liberal counties have some very progressive jail diversion programs that we could copy? Of course! It is also possible that we have some jail diversion programs they could copy! I am sure we would be willing to share!
My reason for doing this exercise is simple. I believe in using data to make decisions whenever possible. In the case of incarceration rates, data tells us that Johnson County does quite well. That does not mean we cannot improve; we always need to strive to do better. We should also acknowledge that our incarceration rates stack up *very* well against other counties across the country. That is something of which we can be proud!
*Consequential – Disasters
I should probably note that when I use the term, “disaster,” I am using a federal definition. That said, my 22 years on the Board has seen a fair amount of tragedy. That includes blizzards, ice storms, floods, tornadoes, COVID, a major fire, the deaths of two Supervisors, and more.
Using the strict definition, we have had several Federally Declared Disasters since I joined the Board. But there were two doozies. Those are the flood of 2008 and COVID-19. As luck would have it, I was the Board Chair for both events.
People forget how devastating the floods were in ’08. It was the 6th-largest disaster in FEMA history. Billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of people were impacted. The most important statistic? Somehow we managed to have zero deaths. People did such amazing work; I will never forget it.
I have so many memories of the ’08 floods that I could write a book. There were meetings with President Bush, Governor Culver, and top military officials. But a personal favorite is on the recovery end – the ribbon cutting for the repaired Sutliff Bridge on 10/12/12. That date is instructive – it is four years after floodwaters receded. There are flood related issues that are still pending, and it has been 18 years. This was a MAJOR event!
Though I could write a book on it, too, COVID was different. It was scary – when we were first confronted with the situation, there was no vaccine. I was the helpless politician in every dystopian sci-fi movie. I was determined to be more Bill Pullman in Independence Day than JT Walsh in Outbreak!
In retrospect, I am incredibly proud of the work people did in these two disasters. They were great examples of caring, thoughtfulness, teamwork, hard work, communication, and expertise. We handled both situations really damn well, in my opinion, and I will forever be proud of that!
*Salvos Salutes – 2013M
What I wrote about some of the honorees from Salvos’s Salutes in 2013:
Betty Sass: We will honor a big group of folks who retired this year, led by our Deputy Johnson County Treasurer. Betty Sass spent over 60 – that is correct, 60- years working for the people of Johnson County. She told me the best improvements over her tenure were: 1.) Typewriters; 2.) Air conditioning; 3.) The indoor smoking ban. Longevity offers very interesting perspective. And while the quantity of her years is amazing, the quality is even better!
Don Saxton: Four generations of Oxford residents know Don as Mr. Mayor. He did it all – from stray dogs to natural disasters and everything in between. No Mayor volunteered more time on Boards and Commissions. Don decided to hang it up after 44 years, and he leaves a small city as well managed as any in the County.
Jim Swaim: Retiring after over 40 years of service, Jim was the ONLY Director United Action for Youth had ever employed. Literally thousands of Johnson County kids have had better lives as a result of his work. What could possibly be a better legacy?
Mike Quinlan: Another retiree, Mike spent years running an innovative program of the 6thJudicial District. Rather than locking offenders away, they joined Mike in providing thousands of hours of valuable community service. Not only have nonprofits and governments benefitted from his work, but so have the offenders, who learn both job skills and empathy unavailable behind bars.
Harry Graves: The environment lost its best friend with the retirement of Johnson County Conservation Director Harry Graves. As current Director Larry Gullett put it, “Harry is a legend in the conservation field. He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer!” Amen!
Dick Schwab: I am a longtime fan of Dick Schwab. Few people give more of their time, talent, and resources. It is easy to talk about doing good; Dick walks the walk. Dick is quietly behind many of the philanthropies that make Johnson County great.
Jim Walters: A longtime friend, I simply appreciate the fact that Jim lives out his convictions. Peace, justice, labor, the environment, education… he cares about the things that matter. We don’t always agree, but I never have to doubt that Jim came to his opinion thoughtfully. He will not only fight for what he believes is right, but also delivers his time and money to the same causes.
Kingsley Botchway II: A coalition of young people, progressives, people of color, and more came together to elect Kingsley as the youngest member of the Iowa City Council in 40 years. Botchway had something to do with this too, of course – he demonstrated a sharp mind and a willingness to listen too often absent on the City Council.
Orville Townsend: The last few years have been extremely difficult for the local African American community. Out of the difficulties, longtime resident Orville Townsend has emerged as the elder statesman and tactical leader of a community pushing for greater racial equity. You can lead through word or deed, and Orville does both.
Kent Smith: Better known as the Englert Doorman, Kent makes every patron feel special. And don’t we all deserve to feel special once in awhile? Routine provision of courtesy and kindness have earned Mr. Smith a big Salute!
As you can see, 2013 was a year full of people worthy of our admiration!
*DID YOU KNOW? A township is the smallest form of County government… roughly 36 square miles.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:57 AM
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