From one sheriff to another
September 2, 2020
Above, Sheriff Gary Davis (left) discusses upcoming issues the county faces with sheriff-elect, Danny Boyd (right).
Sheila Harris
Residents of Barry County should count themselves fortunate. The upcoming transition of sheriffs on January 1, 2020, promises to be a smooth one, as far as the exchanging of responsibilities. According to historical accounts, such has not always been the case.
Incoming sheriff, Detective Danny Boyd, of the Cassville Police Department, will be taking the place of current and outgoing sheriff, Gary Davis.
“I really appreciate Gary’s graciousness,” said Boyd, who was elected to the position of sheriff in the August 4 primary. “All through the campaign, we had a good rapport. He even approached me in the street in front of the courthouse to shake my hand and congratulate me after the election results were announced. And he’s since extended an invitation for me to stop by his office as often as I’m able to, so I can start learning what’s in store for me when I take over his position in January. It’s an offer I’m already taking advantage of.”
Fundamentally, Boyd says, he wants to learn Davis’s routine.
Davis laughed.
“The poor boy’s got a lot to learn,” he said, shaking his head.
The two main challenges facing Boyd in 2021 will be the plans in the works for a jail renovation and the budget for the sheriff’s office, which will be due Monday, January 4, 2021.
“The biggest difference Danny will find when he becomes sheriff,” Davis said, “is that he will discover there’s no one above him. He’s it, the one in charge. Although the county commission sets the budget for the sheriff’s office, the commission doesn’t have oversight of this office. We’re all elected officials, and have our own areas of responsibility.”
In his current position with the Cassville Police Department, Boyd oversees ten employees. According to Davis, when Boyd assumes his new role, he will take on the oversight of 41 full-time and four part-time payroll positions in the sheriff’s office, although they’re not all currently filled. Of that number, there are 22 deputy positions, including 12 road deputies and three detectives. Administrative and jail staff are also included in those numbers.
“The biggest problem for Barry County,” Davis said, “is keeping our deputies. Because of our budget, we cannot afford to pay our deputies as much as surrounding counties do, so Barry County is often used as a training ground for people who end up leaving and going elsewhere.”
While Barry County has many things to commend it to prospective new residents and businesses from other areas of the state and country - including lower real estate taxes, good highways and schools and fast fiber-optic network in certain areas - the budget for law enforcement is a potential drawback if it’s examined closely, Davis thinks.
In matters related to a jail renovation, N-Form Architecture in Springfield, the firm the sheriff’s office has been consulting with, suggested they wait until after the first of the year before opening up the jail project for bids.
“N-Form thinks there’s a chance lumber prices will go down by then, so I decided to follow their advice and wait, and just hand the whole project over to Danny,” Davis said.
“Of course, there’s a chance the jail renovation will never happen if the bids come back too high,” he continued. “Everything boils down to funding.”
According to Davis, the current jail has been added onto several times and has outgrown its capacity and outlived its use-by date.
Plans for renovation include keeping some parts of the existing jail and tearing down others.
“The architects are drawing up plans for a new booking room, kitchen, laundry room and road officer section,” Davis said.
Davis believes the budget should also play a part in area municipalities’ recent and upcoming utilization of the circuit courtroom at the judicial center, something the sheriff’s office currently provides security for.
According to Cassville City Administrator, Steve Walenski, in light of safety concerns with COVID-19, some surrounding towns have begun using Cassville’s judicial center courtroom because it provides more space for social distancing. Cassville will begin holding municipal court there, too, in October, he says.
Davis’s concern is that providing security for extra court-time will use more of his office’s man-hours on a budget already stretched thin. His hope is that the city can provide part of that security.
“These are all things Danny will have to take into consideration when he becomes sheriff,” Davis said. “Of course I was hoping to win the election because I had projects I wanted to finish, but I wish Danny all the best. Since I plan to continue living in Barry County, I want this transition to go as smoothly as the next person does.”
After retiring, Davis plans to become a hired hand on his wife Mary Jane’s Cassville farm.
“If I have any questions, Gary told me I could call him anytime,” Boyd said. “That gives me some peace of mind about the transition.”
Boyd and his wife Francis currently live in rural Purdy, where they plan to remain.
Residents of Barry County should count themselves fortunate. The upcoming transition of sheriffs on January 1, 2020, promises to be a smooth one, as far as the exchanging of responsibilities. According to historical accounts, such has not always been the case.
Incoming sheriff, Detective Danny Boyd, of the Cassville Police Department, will be taking the place of current and outgoing sheriff, Gary Davis.
“I really appreciate Gary’s graciousness,” said Boyd, who was elected to the position of sheriff in the August 4 primary. “All through the campaign, we had a good rapport. He even approached me in the street in front of the courthouse to shake my hand and congratulate me after the election results were announced. And he’s since extended an invitation for me to stop by his office as often as I’m able to, so I can start learning what’s in store for me when I take over his position in January. It’s an offer I’m already taking advantage of.”
Fundamentally, Boyd says, he wants to learn Davis’s routine.
Davis laughed.
“The poor boy’s got a lot to learn,” he said, shaking his head.
The two main challenges facing Boyd in 2021 will be the plans in the works for a jail renovation and the budget for the sheriff’s office, which will be due Monday, January 4, 2021.
“The biggest difference Danny will find when he becomes sheriff,” Davis said, “is that he will discover there’s no one above him. He’s it, the one in charge. Although the county commission sets the budget for the sheriff’s office, the commission doesn’t have oversight of this office. We’re all elected officials, and have our own areas of responsibility.”
In his current position with the Cassville Police Department, Boyd oversees ten employees. According to Davis, when Boyd assumes his new role, he will take on the oversight of 41 full-time and four part-time payroll positions in the sheriff’s office, although they’re not all currently filled. Of that number, there are 22 deputy positions, including 12 road deputies and three detectives. Administrative and jail staff are also included in those numbers.
“The biggest problem for Barry County,” Davis said, “is keeping our deputies. Because of our budget, we cannot afford to pay our deputies as much as surrounding counties do, so Barry County is often used as a training ground for people who end up leaving and going elsewhere.”
While Barry County has many things to commend it to prospective new residents and businesses from other areas of the state and country - including lower real estate taxes, good highways and schools and fast fiber-optic network in certain areas - the budget for law enforcement is a potential drawback if it’s examined closely, Davis thinks.
In matters related to a jail renovation, N-Form Architecture in Springfield, the firm the sheriff’s office has been consulting with, suggested they wait until after the first of the year before opening up the jail project for bids.
“N-Form thinks there’s a chance lumber prices will go down by then, so I decided to follow their advice and wait, and just hand the whole project over to Danny,” Davis said.
“Of course, there’s a chance the jail renovation will never happen if the bids come back too high,” he continued. “Everything boils down to funding.”
According to Davis, the current jail has been added onto several times and has outgrown its capacity and outlived its use-by date.
Plans for renovation include keeping some parts of the existing jail and tearing down others.
“The architects are drawing up plans for a new booking room, kitchen, laundry room and road officer section,” Davis said.
Davis believes the budget should also play a part in area municipalities’ recent and upcoming utilization of the circuit courtroom at the judicial center, something the sheriff’s office currently provides security for.
According to Cassville City Administrator, Steve Walenski, in light of safety concerns with COVID-19, some surrounding towns have begun using Cassville’s judicial center courtroom because it provides more space for social distancing. Cassville will begin holding municipal court there, too, in October, he says.
Davis’s concern is that providing security for extra court-time will use more of his office’s man-hours on a budget already stretched thin. His hope is that the city can provide part of that security.
“These are all things Danny will have to take into consideration when he becomes sheriff,” Davis said. “Of course I was hoping to win the election because I had projects I wanted to finish, but I wish Danny all the best. Since I plan to continue living in Barry County, I want this transition to go as smoothly as the next person does.”
After retiring, Davis plans to become a hired hand on his wife Mary Jane’s Cassville farm.
“If I have any questions, Gary told me I could call him anytime,” Boyd said. “That gives me some peace of mind about the transition.”
Boyd and his wife Francis currently live in rural Purdy, where they plan to remain.
