Candidates for Greene County sheriff share thoughts on body cameras, staffing

With no Democratic challenger in the Greene County sheriff's race, who takes that position will be determined in the Aug. 6 primary election. Current Sheriff Jim Arnott, who has remained in the post for 16 years, will face Ben McMains on the Republican ballot.

The Greene County Sheriff's Office is one of the largest in the state with 624 employees and a roughly $54 million budget. The sheriff serves a four-year term. Both candidates took part in a forum hosted by the North Springfield Betterment Association July 11. The below responses are a mix of answers from the forum and interviews with the News-Leader.

Jim Arnott

Background: The incumbent in the race, Arnott first took on the role as Greene County Sheriff in 2008. Prior to his initial run for office, Arnott began his career in law enforcement at the Greene County Sheriff's Office 36 years ago as a patrolman. He worked his way up to sergeant, lieutenant captain and chief deputy before entering the sheriff's race.

Under his leadership, the office has grown in staff and scope with the opening of the new jail facility in mid-2022.

Earlier this year, Arnott and his ex-wife had left out property on their tax assessment lists and therefore failed to pay the associated property taxes. Upon being contacted by the News-Leader about the discrepancies, Arnott said he was not aware of the issues and that property lists had been corrected and fees were paid to have all documents in order.

Read about it: Greene County sheriff, ex-wife correct tax assessment lists to include missing property

Why run? Arnott said he continues to run for sheriff because he wants to work for victims of crime and make the community a safer place.

Goals if elected another term: Arnott told the News-Leader that violent crime continues to be a major issue in Greene County and Springfield, particularly when it comes to gang violence. To address this issue, he said he will continue to operate the gang task force he put together. Another one of his priorities is border security as he notes that undocumented immigrants commit crimes, are deported but then can re-enter the country without any further repercussions.

"Unless they have a criminal history, like already a conviction in the United States, it's hard to identify them," Arnott said. "It just seems like even if you make an arrest, our system is set up to where we ship them back and then they walk back over, so it's even less than if they did the prison time for the crime."

Body cameras: Besides the expense of purchasing body cameras and retaining the footage, Arnott said he is against body cameras because of how the footage would make private spaces public via the Sunshine Law.

"I think it's a privacy issue," he said. "We have cameras in the cars, we have cameras in the jail, we have cameras everywhere else, but I don't think it should go anywhere into your personal space."

Homelessness: While Arnott noted the Sheriff's Office does not have the authority to enforce municipal ordinances, such as those related to panhandling, he did emphasize enforcing trespassing and upholding people's property rights.

Arnott also noted that the Sheriff's Office has two licensed psychologists and licensed practical counselors already on staff and that those leaving the jail can get a free taxi ride directly to the Burrell Crisis Center. Couple months ago, the jail also begun a program with Jordan Valley Community Health that houses a staff member in the jail that provides further resources and aftercare steps to those leaving the jail before they can be released.

Jail deaths: Arnott said by law, anyone who dies in custody undergoes an autopsy by the medical examiner. Deaths are always investigated by Greene County detectives. In a situation where staff may have contributed to the cause of death, such as use of force, Arnott said the death is investigated by the Sheriff's Critical Incident Team which includes sheriff's offices from Webester, Lawrence, Christian and Greene counties.

Arnott provided information on jail deaths since 2022 which have totaled seven, with four of those being since November 2023. Two were overdoses, one was a suicide, another two were natural causes, one was a result of a fall from a bunk due to a medical condition and another was a mix of causes including methamphetamine intoxication and mechanical asphyxia during a forcible restraint. Only the last, due to the involvement of restraint, was investigated by outside agencies.

Staffing: Hiring and retention in law enforcement agencies across the country remain an uphill battle. While the Greene County Sheriff's Office is no exception, Arnott said retention is the highest it's been in 10 years. Currently, the Sheriff's Office is still 30 people short. The county approved cost-of-living-adjustments for all county employees and an additional minimum $2 per hour increase for commissioned officers at the Sheriff's Office. In an effort to attract more hires and make them stick around, Arnott said they have launched a program to hire candidates without a high school diploma or a GED and put them through a GED class, have opened candidacy to those 18 and older, and has a program that puts existing staff members through the Law Enforcement Academy.

Ben McMains

Background: McMains has 18 years of experience in law enforcement throughout the Ozarks. He's worked as a deputy in Laclede County, chief of police in Conway, bailiff for Greene County courts and police officer and eventually the school resource officer in Fair Grove.

He left the courts in 2021 when he was decommissioned and therefore could not be a bailiff any longer. In Fair Grove, McMains was at the center of conflict between some community members and Fair Grove Board of Aldermen who decommissioned him in January removing him as the SRO.

Read about it: Fair Grove community backs former SRO during appeal hearing, but aldermen don't budge

Currently, McMains works at Prime Inc.

According to Casenet, McMains has three lawsuits from within the past six years regarding debt collection. Two of these are in regard to medical bills while one is a credit card debt. All three have been since paid off.

"To be honest, we all go through hard times, especially of late, but there's no excuse," he said. "Honestly, we like taking our kids on vacations. I'd rather have my kids have memories than to sit there and worry about a bill. That's really the bottom line is — I don't have an excuse for it."

Why run? His experiences with decommission, which McMains ties to Arnott, are a motivator for his decision to challenge the incumbent. McMains said Greene County is in need of a change and his multitude of experiences in law enforcement can bring a fresh perspective.

Goals if elected another term: McMains aims to bring a fresh and diversified perspective to the Sheriff's Office with an emphasis on transparency, accountability, and fostering relationships with other area agencies and local youth.

"They [youth] are our future," he said. "If you want to see crime rates drop, we need to build better relationships with them."

Body cameras: McMains wants to bring body cameras to deputies who respond to crimes and patrol the streets of Greene County as a way to make the department more accountable. At NSBA's forum, McMains noted that there are grants that could cover some of the costs of the cameras and accused Arnott of wasting money on other, unnecessary expenses instead.

Homelessness: McMains said he would love to have a program similar to the mental health co-responder program at the Springfield Police Department. He emphasized the balance between enforcing the law and upholding property rights with connecting those struggling with homelessness with local organizations and resources. He said simply shifting people into and out of prison is not a solution.

Jail deaths: Also, as part of his platform of accountability, McMains committed to bringing in outside organizations to investigate all deaths in the jail, instead of them being handled internally as a way to further his accountability and transparency platform.

Staffing: McMains believes that new leadership at the Sheriff's Office can bring a morale boost to the staff. If elected, he said one of the main goals for his first year would be to check in with employees and hear their ideas and gripes about the department. He said he is not supportive of incentives for hiring if they also do not include incentives for retention.

"If you got happy employees, they're gonna spread the word. They're gonna go talk to other people and be like, 'Hey, you need to come work for the Sheriff's Department,'" he said.

More: What's on the ballot in Springfield and Greene County in the August primary elections

How much money has each campaign raised?

In June, Arnott's campaign committee Citizens for Jim Arnott raised $25,000, though $20,000 of this came solely from Brent Davis, who owns Springfield-based Bristol Manufacturing Corp., according to filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Joe Turner, president and CEO of Great Southern Bank, and the Great Southern Bank Employees Good Government Committee contributed $1,000 each to Arnott's reelection. Jeff Layman, financial advisor with Wells Fargo, donated $2,500 to the campaign and Gene McKeen, retiree from Turners and a member of the Greene County 100 Club Board of Directors, donated $500.

McMains reported raising $3,360 toward his campaign from April through the end of June. His campaign MEC filings show strong financial support from both his family and other Fair Grove residents.

Here's who donated to the Committee to Elect Ben McMains:

• Amanda McMains, teacher at the Fair Grove School District and Ben McMains's wife - $795

• Jeffrey Hilton, retiree from Springfield - $250

• Michael McMains, psychologist from Texas - $200

• Cathy Maples, retiree from Fair Grove - $730

• Rick Cantwell, retiree from Fair Grove - $500

• Thomas Voorhis, recently elected Fair Grove mayor and the captain of the Brookline Fire Department - $100

• Rebecca Carr, retiree from Fair Grove - $178.45

• Stephen Greninger, independent contractor in Springfield - $350

• Cindy Sparks, retiree from Springfield - $200

• Shawn Eakins, retiree from Fair Grove - $100

• Tasha Smith, Fair Grove resident - $100

• Joe Myers, Fair Grove resident - $100

• Tiffany Browning, retailer in Ozark - $1,198.46

Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Body cameras in Greene County? Sheriff candidates' views differ