Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009

Governor appoints sheriff to juvenile advisory board

by Kenneth Lassiter

The duties of Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Herrig have gotten somewhat busier in his first full year of his first term as sheriff as he recently joined the Kansas Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The group is part of the state’s Juvenile Justice Authority and reviews juvenile justice policy and advises policymakers on juvenile justice issues. The group is also in part responsible for keeping the state compliant with federal juvenile justice regulations.

Herrig became one of the 24 members of the KAG, as it is known, after being appointed by former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on the recommendation of the state sheriffs association. Gov. Mark Parkinson made the appointment official by signing it on July 22. Herrig will serve a four-year term in the group, which meets quarterly, and he is the first ever representative in the group from Jefferson County government. He is also the only county sheriff in the KAG.

Herrig has been with the county sheriff’s department since 1983 and was undersheriff for about 15 years under Sheriff Roy Dunnaway before Dunnaway retired from the position last year. Herrig served out Dunnaway’s term and then was elected to the position in November. He credited the guidance Dunnaway gave him in part to helping him earn the KSA recommendation for the spot.

“Roy had me going with him to sheriff’s conferences, so that helped me get to know the sheriffs,” Herrig said. “Over a three or four day conference, it’s great, you meet all the sheriffs and learn a lot of valuable information.”

Earlier this year, Tracey Ploutz, Ellsworth County Sheriff and president of the KSA, contacted Herrig to ask if he’d be willing to serve. Herrig accepted. He is serving on the KAG’s compliance committee to help make sure that all state facilities that handle juveniles are in compliance with regulations. The KAG also makes recommendations regarding grant awards for juvenile justice.

Herrig was set to go through some orientation for the group last week, with the next KAG meeting approaching in November. Herrig said meetings are in Topeka and usually take around five hours.

Herrig found the appointment to be an added honor because, despite his experience, he is still in only his first term as a sheriff.

“To me, it’s an honor to be asked by the sheriffs association to represent law enforcement on the board,” Herrig said. “I attribute a lot of that to Roy. It’s good to know those guys.”