SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::
As one of his official acts, Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix swore in his Sheriff’s Office and Detention Facility personnel. This also presented an opportunity for Dix to speak to his personnel and lay out his expectations.
Dix wanted to make it clear from the beginning that he both wants and needs input from his employees.
“I want you to feel like you can come to me and say, ‘We need to talk about this for just a minute. This is the way we do this and this is why we do it,’ and I’m going to depend on each and every one of y’all to do this. This is not a one man show. I’m depending on y’all,” Dix said. “It is going to take all of us to get this going in the right direction.”
The newly-elected sheriff said he has plans in place to maintain a high level of professionalism, and explained what he expects of each employee.
“We have things we’re going to be looking towards in the future. First of all, state certification and then national accreditation. It’s going to take a lot of hard work on behalf of everybody. There are standards that are going to have to be met, and one of the things that I think about with standards is I do not believe in lowering the bar at all. Period,” Dix said. “I think that if you give people the opportunity to do what they’re supposed to do in a good work environment, they will rise to the occasion, and will work and do what they’re supposed to do. That’s what I believe and what I want y’all to see in me as a Sheriff. As your Sheriff.”
Dix also stressed that he believes all SCSO personnel are valuable, and the importance he places on both teamwork and acknowledging a job well done.
“I can’t stress enough that we’re all in this together. This is going to be unlike anything that you’ve ever seen. I want accountability. If things go bad, I want to know they’re going bad. When things are going good, I want to know they’re going good. Don’t be surprised if I walk up to you and pat you on the back and say you’re doing a good job,” he said. “I believe in recognizing people. I believe in good. Bad only happens when things go bad. The majority of time, things go good, people need to be recognized for that. People need to understand that it’s not all about brow beating people. Every time you see me or any time you see a one of the command staff walking down the hall, it doesn’t need to be that feeling in the pit of your stomach like when you saw the principal walking down the hall when you were in school. You need to know that we’re your friends and we’re here for you, just like I hope y’all are going to be here for all of us.”
While Dix made clear he will demand professionalism, he said he respects the role they all share.
“It doesn’t make any difference what position you hold. We are all the same. We are the Thin Blue Line that separates the night and the day time, and we’re going to work together to do that,” he said. “I know we’re understaffed. I know we’re short-handed, and I expect you to rise to that occasion and do what you’re supposed to do. I expect that. We’re going to work together and we can do that. We can accomplish it.”
Dix also made clear he will be available to his employees, and that any situations that arise will be handled professionally.
“”If you have any questions, all you have to do is ask me. Before you post something on Facebook, come to me and ask me. Or if you hear a rumor or before you start spreading a rumor, come to me and ask me. Ask one of your division heads. Ask one of your supervisors,” he said. “We’ll get to the bottom of it. We’ll figure out what’s going on, because a lot of times, what you’re hear is not exactly the story that was meant to get out or should have gotten out. You’re hearing somebody’s slant on a story.”
Along with telling his employees what he will expect from them, Dix also made a commitment to them.
“I’m going to tell you the truth. You can always bank on it. It may hurt. It may hurt a lot, but I’m going to be truthful with you,” he said. “If something happens, I’m going to tell you the truth whether good, bad or ugly, and I expect you to do the same for me.”
(This article first appeared in the print edition of The GRIP.)
