July 15, 2021
Meeting Summary
Presiding: Steve Morgan
Meeting Room setup/takedown and general problem solving: Tom Mangan & Ron Van Ekeren
Inspiration:
Professor’s Quote: George Gill
Foundation Flash:
Introduction of Guests: Hanna Eslinger
Guests: Kristen Peterson introduced Sky Martin  
Exchange Students:
Visiting Rotarians:
Junior Rotarians/RYLA/Young RYLA:
Rotaract/Interact Students:
Humor:
Foundation Drawing: Sky Martin won $10.
O’Dwyers Drawing: George Gill
 
Announcements:
  • Kelly Neville reminded the club that our fundraiser is coming up quickly. Rotary Bingo will be July 15 at Bond’s Brewing. Social hour starts at 6 p.m., and bingo starts at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a silent auction.
 
Rotarian of the Week: Tony Hoch nominated Amanda Paul and Hanna Eslinger for keeping the meetings running; Kerry Greaser nominated Jaime Stine for being on the Jubilee Days committee; Jenny Eisenhauer nominated the bingo planning committee.    
 
Songs: I’m Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover, In the Good Old Summer Time
 
Program: Albany County Sheriff Department, Aaron Appelhans
 
Introduction: Tony Hoch
 
Aaron Appelhans was appointed to serve the remainder of the Albany County Sheriff term about six months ago. The sheriff’s office provides 24/7 police coverage. It is budgeted to have 46 sheriff deputies and has lots of agreements for policing around the county.
 
The office also provides search/rescue, civic services, concealed carry permits, fingerprinting, VIN checks, emergency management, the fire warden, and the sex offender registry.
 
Appelhans is the top law enforcement person in the county. He is a public official. He is charged with keeping the peace in county, appointing deputies, handling the detention center, and manning court security.
 
There have been many staffing changes since he came on. This is all strategic to move the department forward and to be more innovative in the way it serves the county.
 
There were four empty positions when Appelhans came on. There are 10 now. To combat this problem with retention, he has changed the recruitment and hiring process. First, hiring has a broader reach and applicants can now apply online. There are about 10-15 applicants per pool.
 
The hiring process is focusing more on a softer skill set, since it is hard to teach people how to interact and talk to others. There is a greater focus on de-escalation and community relations, as Appelhans makes sure the department is aware that they are peace officers.
 
The department has reached out to underserved communities to minimize stereotypes and to up diversity. Currently 50 percent of the hires have been women.
 
This new hiring process seems to be working with its focus on mental and physical fitness.
 
Sheriff Appelhans has worked to expand and improve benefits. This means getting deputies competitive wages and benefits and securing funding for ongoing raises.
 
For future plans, Appelhans wants to focus on community relations and have a different focus on policing with trauma-informed investigations. He wants the department to recognize that there has to be the right demeanor and right questions asked when dealing with traumatized victims.
 
There are also plans for criminal justice reform and new partnerships. Appelhans wants to see a better response to mental health and more resources for proper policing.
 
The department purchased all new body cams and is working to create a digital ticketing system and a report management system. This will allow for more data-driven policing by putting crime data on a map so they know where to place officers on duty.
 
Appelhans wants to see better medical help in the detention center. There are 21 people being held there right now, and that is a low number. Alcohol is the number one cause of people being detained at the center.
 
For criminal justice reform, Appelhans is looking at use of force, systematic racism, biases and how these are applied in the county. The department will also look into for-profit policing, legal protections, re-allocation of funds, and the failures of the war on drugs.
 
Response: Rollin Abernethy
 
Rotary 4-way test
Of the things we think, say, or do
•Is it the Truth?
•Is it Fair?
•Will it build Good Will and Better Friendships?
•Will it be Beneficial to All Concerned?
 
Response: The Rotary Club of Laramie will make a donation to the public library children’s book fund in the speaker’s name.
NOTE: We Do Not Donate a Book!
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Spoke Editor: Caitlin White, 307-630-1965, cwhite@acplwy.org