Seipler addresses supervisory ratios

Zane Seipler has provided the following Press Release, following this morning's article in the Northwest Herald about his differences of opinion regarding supervisory ratios at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department"

PRESS RELEASE

On January 20, 2010, an article was printed in the Northwest Herald titled “Seipler, Nygren differ over supervisor ratios”.

Jillian Duchnowski, a reporter I have talked to many times, contacted me late last week to comment on this story. Jillian and I had a five to ten minute conversation about the way she reports.

I explained to her that refusing to comment was better than being misquoted, not quoted and misrepresented.

In the last 35 articles the Northwest Herald has written since I entered this race it is easy to see which way the paper leans. Their support of Keith Nygren's re-election is not limited to the paper's editorial page.

When I made mention of this to Jillian, she immediately stated, “The editor makes the changes”.

I am glad to see that today’s article fairly states the circumstances of my wrongful termination. I am happy to see that Jillian took to heart the comments I made with regards to the traffic stop that so often gets mentioned in every article where my name is present. I feel today’s article shows positive improvement and diligent journalistic investigation. This type of journalism pleases me immensely considering that, win or lose this election, I will be the focus of countless more Northwest Herald articles in the years to come.

The issue discussed is “Top Heavy” supervision.

Jillian Duchnowski reports that under Keith Nygren the ratio is three and a half deputies to every one supervisor.

It was not always this way.

In the last several years the number of supervisors has increased.

The number of deputies has remained relatively constant. Supervisor positions were created for the Traffic Unit and the Apprehension Unit. The Apprehension Unit consists of one sergeant and two deputies.

Nygren would have you believe that this unit is constantly coordinating with the U.S. Marshal Service in attempts to apprehend fugitives here in McHenry County. This is not true.

The Marshal Team assists the Apprehension Unit once maybe twice a month. The rest of the time the sergeant is supervising two deputies.

The Traffic Unit is a little more complicated and, because of that, a secondary supervisor assists the primary supervisor.

This is wasteful when you consider that the deputies involved with the Traffic Unit are all certified accident investigators, all well versed in trial testimony and all self motivated, highly intelligent individuals. They don’t need two supervisors looking over their shoulders. This pattern of bureaucracy can be seen in the Investigation Division as well.

“Whatever we do out there [on the more serious calls] at some point very likely will be litigated in court, and you want to know that you’re setting the record straight so you have all the information you need to go to court,” Nygren said.

In March of 2008 Jerome and Carla Pavlin were seriously injured and arrested by five McHenry County deputies. Two supervisors arrived on the scene that day.

In the summer of 2009 the McHenry County State’s Attorney dismissed all charges against the Pavlins with prejudice. The reason for the dismissal was evidentiary inconsistencies.

Keith Nygren was quoted by the Daily Herald as saying, "I'm at a total loss to explain what happened here and why it happened”.

This case will go to court, again. It will cost the taxpayers of McHenry County possibly millions of dollars. The number of supervisors present isn’t going to change that.

More supervisors make it easy for Nygren to pass the “buck” and take no responsibility. That is the reason he thinks a 3.5 to 1 ratio is fine. More people to blame when everything goes bad.

I am confident that if I would have made these statements to Jillian Duchowski, they never would have been printed.