Keeping you and your family safe!  This will be my first priority as your new Sheriff with new ideas.  I’m Lieutenant Kirk Byram, a 20 year veteran with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office and senior active lieutenant.  I’m 43 years old, a father, a husband, and a Sunday school teacher.

I believe every law abiding citizen has a right to own a gun.  You should be able to protect your family just as I can mine.  I’m anti-consolidation, unlike my opponent, who worked hard for a bad plan that failed to save money or improve county government.

Currently, I’m serving the citizens of Vanderburgh County as a motor patrol commander and I am the agency’s lead firearms instructor and former lead emergency vehicle operations instructor.  I also instruct new law enforcement cadets at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.

One of my new ideas to save the taxpayers money and improve the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s office is to revitalize the volunteer reserve deputy program.  One example, active reserve deputies could work in our jail.  This can help improve the booking process thus freeing up city and county officers from a long wait and putting them back on the streets protecting you and your family.

Reserve deputies can also help in serving subpoenas, warrants, and with community policing.  This puts more active deputies on the street preventing and solving crimes, so taxpayers get more for their money.

I started my career as a reserve deputy while working part-time and attending the University of Southern Indiana.  Next, I graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.  Then while serving as a deputy, I earned a Masters Degree in Criminology.  I continue using my education as a department instructor and to teach Criminal Justice courses at Ivy Tech.  I know and understand the value and importance of education, communication, and involvement in the community.

When I was sworn in as a merit deputy sheriff, I was the youngest deputy within the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office.  I later went on to become the youngest Field Training Deputy, Instructor, Sergeant, and Lieutenant at the time of each appointment.  Throughout my career, I have served in various leadership positions including motor patrol, detention, and criminal investigations.

As Sheriff, I will stress community policing.  Our deputies should be spending more time patrolling neighborhoods and businesses.  We need to spend more time speaking and working with the residents to make our community safer for our families.  This will also include more use of social media so there is an ongoing dialogue with the residents of Vanderburgh County.  I will focus on saving money and better allocating our existing resources to protect and serve you and your family.

While off-duty, I spend time with my family and stay actively involved in the community.  My family and I teach Sunday school at our church.  We stay actively involved with our sons at their school where I also coach various sports.  I am also involved in Leadership Evansville and other community organizations.

My wife, Trina and our two sons have and will continue to meet as many of you as possible.  We want the citizens of Vanderburgh County to know they have a choice at the next election and that choice is clear.  Do you want a Sheriff’s Office with new ideas for our community or one that continues with the same policies of the past 30 years?  Elect me, Kirk Byram, as your next Sheriff.  My family and I would appreciate your support and vote.

Find us on Facebook or byram4sheriff.com

This article posted  t City County Observer without bias, opinion or editing.

 

(Washington, D.C.) – Wednesday afternoon, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed that only 701 Hoosiers have selected healthcare plans via the failing healthcare.gov website in the first month.  In comparison, according to state officials, more than 108,000 Hoosiers have received cancellation notices due to the law.

“As a physician, I want every American to have access to quality, affordable health care, but this law is only creating obstacles for families, not solutions,” said Bucshon. “More Hoosiers have lost coverage than have signed up for plans under ObamaCare.  The flawed website is only a symptom of more systemic failures.  Despite the President’s promises, Hoosiers are receiving cancellation notices for plans they like, they are at risk of losing their current physician they know and trust, and many are faced with higher costs for inferior coverage. These are real stories that affect real hardworking families who are just trying to make it.”

Nationally, 27,000 Americans have enrolled in federal run exchanges and 79,000 Americans have enrolled in state-based exchanges, bringing the total to only 106,185.  An enormous failure when compared to the President’s September projection of 494,620 enrollees.

According to the Washington Times, “more than 4.2 million Americans have had their health insurance policies cancelled thanks to ObamaCare” and “the number could triple over the next few months.” (Washington Times; 11/13/13)

HHS classifies enrollees as individuals “who have paid the first month’s premium and those who have not yet paid the first month’s premium.”

Bucshon has asked 8^th District constituents to share their healthcare stories or experiences through the webpagewww.bucshon.house.gov/yourstory.