Helder seeks to expand sheriffs’ terms from two to four years
Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2008
Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder is seeking public support in hopes of extending his term to four years.
"Our thought is that two years isn't long enough for anyone to serve a term in a fulltime position and run an organization," he said. "The petition drive for changing the terms from two years to four was a unanimous vote by the board of directors for the state association of sheriffs."
Helder, who is now serving his second term, announced his plans to seek re-election in January. He was initially elected as sheriff during a Democratic primary on May 18, 2004. No Republicans sought the position that year. He was sworn in Jan. 1, 2005.
"We're the last state in the country to have a two-year term for the sheriff," he said. "I believe New Hampshire has a three-year term. Everyone else has gone to four. "
If re-elected, Helder said, he plans to continue expanding the department's existing services to manage area growth. The sheriff's office has already expanded its presence in the community, he said, by participating in two recently established programs -the 287 (g ) program and the sex offender registry program.
The 287 (g ) program, which is made up of 19 officers from the Sheriff's Office and Rogers and Springdale police departments, authorizes local law enforcement officers to investigate illegal immigrants for federal prosecution and deportation. The agreement with federal officials authorizes Washington County detention officers to conduct immigration screenings at the jail as suspects are booked. Detectives are also authorized to conduct immigration background checks related to criminal investigations.
The Sex Offender Registry program was launched in November by the Sheriff's Office in partnership with the Springdale and Fayetteville police departments. The program enables Washington County residents to receive automatic e-mail notification when a registered sex offender moves into their neighborhood.
Expanding the sheriff 's office term to four years instead of two, Helder said, would enable department heads to better address the needs of the community and develop similar programs that protect area residents. To gain the public's support, he's joining forces with sheriffs and volunteers statewide in a grass roots campaign.
"I have friends going door-to-door, and we had volunteers from Washington County attend a crafts fair," he said. I'm going to just about every pancake breakfast and spaghetti dinner to get signatures. Statewide, sheriffs are doing similar things."
The Arkansas Sheriff 's Association is also gaining signatures by sending a committee of volunteers to festivals across the state.
"Our first thought was that if every sheriff could do 1, 000 signatures, it would be a nobrainer," he said. "Unfortunately we have sheriffs in contested races who can't concentrate on this right now or sheriffs who are retiring, so it really doesn't affect them. That leaves a lot of work to a small bulk of people."
Volunteers must gain 76, 000 signatures statewide by the first week of July. So far, they're about a quarter of the way to their goal.
"If we get the right number of signatures, it goes to the attorney general's office to ver ify the signatures and get it on the ballot in November," he said. "Whether we can get enough signatures or not, I don't know. But we're sure going to try and get it done to let people know that this needs to happen."
For more information about the petition drive, contact the sheriff's office at (479 ) 444-5700.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
