Bill Meyerrose, a lifelong Republican and lifelong resident of Decatur County, wants to earn a chance to be the steady hand at the helm of the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department. “I want to bring my 30 plus years of law enforcement experience from working with the people of Decatur County”, he said “to provide much needed leadership with calm and consistent guidance for this very young department.”
While raising his two daughters here in Greensburg with his wife Connie, Meyerrose launched his career at Greensburg Police Department, where he became Captain of Investigations and ultimately served a number of years as the Chief of Police. Since retiring from GPD, he has served as the Investigator for the Decatur County Prosecutor’s Office. “It means so much to me to follow in the footsteps of Jon Oldham as the Prosecutor’s Investigator,” said Meyerrose, “and it would be an honor to follow in his footsteps again by serving as your Sheriff.”
Partnerships with community responders such as fire departments and town police agencies are extremely important to the success of everyone. Decisions to dissolve established partnerships and to limit involvement with the School Resource Officer programs in the schools are examples of decisions that make Decatur County less safe. He also noted a troubling rise in liability, including the refusal to adopt body-worn cameras, which are proven to protect officers from false accusations and to support prosecutions of crime. Meyerrose vows to connect with those agencies and schools and to strengthen those partnerships as well as pursue the purchase of body-worn cameras.
Meyerrose thinks the path forward relies on good teamwork. “Making Decatur County safer will require an investment in relationships,” said Meyerrose. Meyerrose points to the fact that over 40 employees have left the Sheriff’s Department since the incumbent was elected, a rate of departure that is double that of his predecessor. “I intend for my teammates to know I have their backs, from our employees, to our partner agencies in law enforcement and criminal justice, to the schools, volunteer fire departments, local mental health and addictions providers, and stakeholders I’ve worked with for 30 years across the region.”
Meyerrose stated that if elected, he will be in the office every day, providing leadership to all employees as well as maintaining an open door available to all county residents for their concerns and questions.
submitted by Bill Meyerrose
