There's a new sheriff in town. We would like to extend a welcome to Michael Bonham, who recently took over the Osage County Sheriff's Department.
Our neighbors to the east have gone through a lot in the past couple years, but we're optimistic Bonham's arrival will suppress future disruptions to the office and its charge of upholding law and order.
The embattled past sheriff, Michael Dixon, stepped down last May amid legal issues, including a charge against him the previous month for unlawful use of a weapon.
Prosecutors said he pointed a gun at someone while drunk in a Hartsburg bar.
That was the latest in several incidents involving Dixon. By then, Osage County commissioners were beyond frustrated. Dixon avoided them, refusing to show up at commission meetings to explain himself. But state law didn't give them the ability to fire Dixon, who was elected by the people.
After Dixon's resignation, Ron Dishman was hired as the interim sheriff, but he, too, stepped down due to legal issues.
Bonham, 54, has been a reserve deputy with Pulaski County for four years and also worked as a detective and deputy in another law enforcement setting for four years. He was elected in November, and sworn in shortly after.
Bonham said his priorities were to bring a higher professional standard to the Osage County sheriff's department.
"We're headed in a positive direction, with community policing as our focus," he said.
That tells us that Bonham understands one important need of the community: to be heard. Community policing means getting out of your patrol car and talking to people to connect with them on a personal level and understand their needs.
"The best way to make a difference in the criminal element is for them to see you out there," he said. "Every day, people ask how things are going. I enjoy challenges, but I don't like it when it feels overwhelming. When we first took over, many of the problems had already been identified. So when I'm asked how things are going, I tell them we're taking it one bite at a time."
"Just going to ball games is an old example of interaction with residents. They see and hear things we never hear, and we need that so we can do crime prevention and solve crimes."
Bonham said he hopes his department can be in the news in a positive light in the future. "We'd like the bad news to stay in the past," he said.
We agree wholeheartedly. Our news agency, like any, has a role to report both the good and the bad. So while we can't shy away from the negative, we prefer to cover the positive.