It was a day of good-byes at Monday’s Riley County Law Board meeting, with law board member Rich Jankovich, who also is a City Commissioner, indicating it was time to allow others to serve. Jankovich says “it’s been an honor and privilege to serve here.” Ron Wells, representing Riley County, has been on the law board just a few years and says while he would have liked more time it is an eye-opener and looks a lot different on the inside than it does on the outside. And outgoing Riley County Commissioner Dave Lewis shared his thoughts on leaving the law board position, says “This has been a terrific honor.” Law Board member Wynn Butler was not at the meeting.
The next law board meeting in January will have several new members–a matter that has gained a lot of attention at recent Manhattan City Commission meetings.
Riley County Police have been trying out the use of body cameras,and citizen Bud Valerius questioned Riley County Law Board members Monday about how much the cameras will be used, saying he’s concerned without 24 hour monitoring, if something gets out of hand one might not see the initial cause of the problem. However Riley County Police Director Brad Schoen cautioned that saving everything would mean a lot of storage and downloading.
Law Board member Barry Wilkerson, who also serves as Riley County Attorney, talked about how some cases involve victims,especially with children involved, who would not want to be videotaped. Schoen admits it’s a fine line, saying the need for transparency and need for privacy is going to be in conflict with these cameras, and they’ll strive to find a balance when coming up with a policy.
In other business Monday, letters of appreciation were presented to citizen David Manges for assistance in apprehending a suspect who was damaging vehicles in City Park and Manhattan Fire Department Firefighter Kody Songs for assistance during an aggravated assault in Aggieville. Corrections Officer Larry Greinke and Captain Tim Hegarty were also recognized for Instructor certification in the Police Society for Problem Based Learning program.
With Ferguson, Missouri bringing racial tensions into the national headlines recently, Riley County Law Board members heard a different story from Community Advisory Board Chair Corey Leavell during their meeting Monday, who talked about the variety of meetings lately, especially involving Riley County Police and K-State’s Black Student Union. Leavell told the board after each meeting, the consensus seemed to be while there may be problems with aggressive policing and racial profiling in other parts of the country, that the Riley County Police Department seems to be headed in the right direction.
Law board members also heard from Fraternal Order of Police President Brian Johnson about his appreciation of open dialogue with the Director, law board, and community–and the hope for continued partnerships with community groups such as Special Olympics.
On another matter, RCPD Director Brad Schoen and Legal Counsel Mike Gillespie addressed the law board regarding a presentation last month by local landlord Roger Seymour, with Gillespie indicating the problem seems to have to do with a landlord determining when a tenant has abandoned a residence. Schoen admitted the statute is messy when it comes to such cases–requiring a tenant be 10 or more days behind on rent and that a substantial part of their belongings are gone. Determining whether a substantial part of property is gone is difficult, according to Schoen and legal counsel Mike Gillespie…
Schoen indicated it might be time to emphasize to officers what the law is. However law board members seemed to agree if the tenant is there while property is being taken, that might be an indication they did not mean to abandon the property.
