NWA editorial: Driven to frustration

Government officials, who collectively have earned the public's suspicions by how generously understanding they often are of their colleagues' foibles, manage occasionally to impress with reasonable reactions to situations that defy common sense. The down-to-earth responses are far more likely on the local level than in that dysfunctional and distant theme park known as Washington, D.C. The closer officials are to the public they serve, the more likely they are to reflect their constituents' sensibilities.

Benton County leaders are within reason to demand better behaviors from county employees with regard to personal use of county-supplied equipment and vehicles.

That's what appeared to be happening last week in Benton County government. Members of the Quorum Court and the county's human resources administrator seized an opportunity to discuss their indignation about a lack of reasonable boundaries within Kelly Cradduck's sheriff's office over the use of county-supplied law enforcement vehicles. And by boundaries, we're talking both figuratively and literally.

This latest affront emerged from the shores of the Sunshine State. Chief Deputy Richie Conner, who is Cradduck's No. 2 commander, loaded his family into one of the sheriff's office's sport utility vehicles for a vacation trip. It wasn't a short jaunt to the Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari in Gentry or to a long stay on the shores of Beaver Lake. At least under those circumstances, Conner could make an argument -- although not a strong one -- that he was within the jurisdiction he serves and might be called upon to act in some official capacity. No, this family trip had Florida as its destination, removing all doubt that use of the vehicle had any connection to fulfilling the reasons Conner is given authority to drive a taxpayer-supplied vehicle.

To his credit, Justice of the Peace Kevin Harrison brought the matter to the attention of Prosecutor Nathan Smith once he heard about it. Smith reviewed the situation and determined the level of "confusion" within the sheriff's office over vehicle use policies negated any criminality, but the use certainly raised ethical issues. Discipline, therefore, was up to Sheriff Cradduck, Smith said.

Cradduck said he took disciplinary action -- exactly what, we don't know -- "once this issue was discovered."

"Under my administration, the expectations and policies have been made clear," the sheriff said.

Except they haven't. When the sheriff's chief deputy doesn't know enough about those expectations to stay within them, it's hard to argue those expectations have trickled through to the rest of the agency. Cradduck said in a statement that the practice of using county vehicles for personal trips predated his election as sheriff, as if that somehow lets him and his leadership team off the hook for this incident.

It doesn't. If it was wrong before Cradduck took office (and it was), it's wrong now. For his part, former Sheriff Keith Ferguson said that if such a thing occurred on his watch, it did so without his knowledge or blessing. One could argue that if it was happening, Ferguson should have known about it and stopped it. Either way, the job belongs to Cradduck now, as does the responsibility to take care of it.

It seems other county officials got tired of waiting for that to happen. Last week, Barb Ludwig, Benton County's human resources manager, informed the Quorum Court of her plan to strengthen language in the county's vehicle policy to clearly prohibit employees using county vehicles for personal trips. The county handbook already has an ethics policy that prohibits use of county equipment for personal use. She said she planned to add a specific prohibition to a section concerning use of equipment and vehicles. County employees will have to sign a form acknowledging they were informed of the change.

In other words, she's going to try to excuse-proof the policy. We respect her desire to shore up policy so that it's impenetrable to interpretations that defy common sense.

Justices of the peace were, understandably, ticked off on the subject. Some wanted to create an ordinance prohibiting the practice, even to the extent of making it a criminal offense. Their memories of the Wakarusa Music Festival incident hadn't faded.

See, this isn't just misplaced, unfair sniping about a single misstep. That currency was used up back in 2014 when a detective drove a county-supplied vehicle to the Wakarusa Music Festival on Mulberry Mountain, about 75 miles from the sheriff's office and three counties away. The law enforcement officer was not on duty serving the taxpayers of Benton County. He was, as plenty of officers do, using his law enforcement authority to earn money through a private security gig. He wrecked the car on his way home, revealing the apparently permissive nature of vehicle use at the sheriff's office to the rest of the county.

Justice of the Peace Sue Shadlow said she considered such personal uses of county-owned equipment to be theft.

"Can I walk out of here with a copier?" she asked. "It makes us look stupid."

Well, let's just say it puts county leaders squarely in the "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" category. So now the county is tightening up polices to ensure other abuses of public property can be dealt with.

That this second incident involved Cradduck's chief deputy demonstrates the failing of the sheriff's office to seriously deal with the entitlement mentality required for a county employee to believe using county property for personal trips is acceptable.

At a minimum, county employees should scrutinize their choices when they involve leaving the county they are hired to serve. But even within the county, their internal compasses should be guided by whether use of county resources serves the public.

One would have to believe law enforcement officers are familiar with the concept of boundaries and consequences for crossing them. We're glad to see Benton County get specific in the interest of protecting the public from abusive practices. Hopefully, the sheriff's office can set a standard for staying within the bounds of reason now that the boundaries are being so clearly drawn out.

Editorial on 10/21/2015