Bryan Murphy has served as Sheriff of Allen County for the past eight years, and is looking to be elected for a third term.
“I’ve worked every aspect in a county sheriff’s office,” he said. “Corrections, patrol, administration.”
As for why he’d like to continue being sheriff, he said, “I truly enjoy serving my community,” and “to be that lifeline when someone needs it.”
Murphy said the biggest challenge of being sheriff is “maintaining communications with the community,” and “having an open mind to everyone’s concerns or disagreements.”
“Conversation is vitally important,” he said, as is “being a community partner.”
“No matter who it is,” when they come into the sheriff’s office, “they’ve got my undivided attention. Their time is the most important thing to me.”
“You’re tasked with the safety and security of 13,000 people. It’s not to be taken lightly.”
Some of the things Murphy pointed to as accomplishments during his time in office include: developing systems for keeping schools safe during a shooting, a notification system for victims of crimes (say, when their abuser has been released from prison), increased staffing and creation of new positions, creation of a system whereby prisoners can communicate with loved ones, and radios for schools.
One way Murphy said he thought the department might save money given a budget shortfall was in relation to training.
It’s possible one might do “more in-house” as opposed to “outside the door” programs, which is no small thing since officers must perform at least 40 hours of training per year.
In relation to building trust in law enforcement in the wake of civil unrest, Murphy said it’s important to have “open doors, open conversations with those who are concerned,” such as during a recent Black Lives Matter rally in Iola that he helped to oversee.
“The George Floyd incidents of the world are heinous,” he said, and unfortunately those actions “reflect on thousands of officers.”
“Every life matters,” Murphy said, and even those in custody “still have rights that we have to protect.”
“It’s gonna take a lot of work and conversations for things to get better.”
Regarding the role of law enforcement, he added, “we are not above the law. We are not The Law. We are the enforcers of the law.”
This is precisely why being an officer is such a “large burden,” because the ability to remove liberties is accompanied by enormous responsibilities.
