Flagler sheriff: Government should be run like a business

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

The only way for you to know how your customers see your business is to look at it through their eyes.

There has been a continuing discussion in the pages of this newspaper and throughout the country about the proper role and size of government. I believe that many statements on this subject are false arguments that can lead to divisiveness and a functional dead end.

Our Founding Fathers had a great belief in the ability of a properly elected government to ensure that the lives of their fellow citizens contained freedom and happiness. They risked their lives on these propositions just as each successive generation has that has fought either internal or external wars in order to ensure that these ideals would continue to be a part of our great country.

It has been said that the business of America is business, and that millions of entrepreneurs over more than 200 years have reinforced this theory; however, for some reason the concept of running government as a business has never taken root in this nation. It appears that the functioning of government and business have for the most part been on two different paths, probably due to the opinion that the underlying purposes of each entity are too different for there to be commonality.

I firmly disagree with this notion. I have spent equal portions of my life in government service and in the private sector. Those who say that government can’t work like a business have never been in government nor had their own successful business. In both instances the ultimate measure of success is the satisfaction of your customer. In business your revenue stream depends on this. In government your re-election demands it.

I ran for office on the simple supposition that government should and can operate like a business, and in my first year in office I have implemented basic, business concepts into the operation of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

At the FCSO, we have implemented five basic business concepts by which we pledged to abide. First, we treat every citizen in every situation as our customer, not a potential violator of the law. This means that whether a person calls for an emergency, asks a deputy a question, is stopped for a vehicle or traffic violation, or is arrested and subsequently under our supervision, they are treated with respect and dignity.

Second, we use every available means to create opportunities to communicate with our customers and make it possible for our customers to communicate with the Sheriff’s Office. We are able to do this by a redesigned website that is now more user friendly; by utilizing social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter; by setting up public service announcements on the radio, in the movie theater, and in the printed and electronic media; by opening a Palm Coast precinct in the heart of our population and business district that is easily accessible; by having town hall meetings on both the east and west sides of the county that are attended by multiple elected officials; and by having a full-time, uniformed, public information deputy who responds in a timely manner to all media requests.

Third, and for many the most important concept, we spend taxpayer money in an efficient and wise manner. As part of this duty, we merged our vehicle maintenance and technology departments with the county’s, saving money and providing better service through our combined resources. We also eliminated eight upper management positions and reclassified those as line deputy positions, which added up to 10 more deputies on patrol.

Fourth, we act with a sense of urgency when situations that are important to our citizens are communicated to us. For instance, we have weekly Compstat meetings to determine whether or not there are any crime trends in our neighborhoods that require us to provide additional resources in those designated areas. In addition, information about potential drug houses in the county receives immediate attention from our undercover patrol and narcotics units.

Our fifth and final business concept is that we find a way to say “yes” to new and innovative ideas for conducting our business. We created an employee incentive plan to reward employees' ideas that save our agency time and money. We established a Citizen’s Advisory Council that reviews our performance and suggests better methods for achieving our goals of ensuring the safety of our community. These business concepts enhance our mission of protecting and serving with accountability, integrity and respect.

Jim Manfre is the sheriff of Flagler County.