Civilian Advisory Boards

By MIKE KANALAKIS

Mike Kanalakis plans to form a Civilian Advisory Board in Monterey County that will meet regularly with the Sheriff to address issues BEFORE they become problems.

Law Enforcement must strive to effect better relationships with all segments of the community if we are to truly provide quality public service to everyone. This means creating an outreach program through the citizen advisory panel process to educate, meet, and deal with issues of concern with our growing population.

Our senior staff should be meeting frequently with representatives of different organizations such as the UFW, LULAC, ACLU, Agriculture, Hospitality, Tourism, Small Businesses, Neighborhood Associations, Schools, and Chambers of Commerce, to address issues of interest and concern. By having representatives of these major components of our population, we can form a truly functional and productive advisory panel. As the Chief law enforcement officer in the County, the Sheriff can truly hear the voice of the people and carry recommendations back to the Chiefs of Police through the Chief law Enforcement Officer Association.

We need to bridge the gap by becoming pro-active and going more than half way, if we as an institution are going to gain the respect and trust of those we serve. The creation of such a working body to meet on a regular basis, which would include the above listed components, would serve as a paragon to other counties and communities. It would also mean the department would be in a position to receive additional future federal grant monies to further the goals of such a working group. However, it is important that our representative be a senior staff official capable of making policy decisions on behalf of the Sheriff giving this group the importance it deserves.