JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC

If I was betting on whom Jackson County Executive Frank White will appoint as interim Jackson County Sheriff, I probably would put money on former Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forte.

Of the three finalists selected today by an advisory committee, Forte has by far the highest profile and has attained the highest level of law enforcement management.

But this is not an ordinary situation, and it should by no means be an open-and-shut matter, with Forte getting the appointment.

Consider the background…

As we all know, the previous sheriff, Mike Sharp, who recently resigned in disgrace, ran an utterly fast-and-loose operation for the almost 10 years he served. It all exploded on him last month, when reports of sexual and managerial impropriety in recent years hit the news.

As I wrote in an April 20 post, signs of Sharp’s unfitness for office dated all the way to 2008, the first time he was running for the post. My former Kansas City Star colleague Kevin Murphy wrote a story back then, saying Sharp was “once part of an email exchange among city county law officers that included images of nude women.”

The email exchange group included 25 Jackson County deputies, sergeants and other officers.

Nevertheless, Sharp, who had the Democratic machinery behind him, rolled into office by a large margin and was re-elected in 2012 and 2016.

Now, do you think Sharp, once elected, went in and cleaned up the office, strictly prohibiting pornography, sexual harassment and impropriety?

Given what unfolded recently, I doubt it!

Why, just today, Sharp’s former girlfriend and one-time personal assistant dropped her two-year-old discrimination and harassment lawsuit against the county. She did not get any money, but the case has cost the county about $400,000 in legal fees, according to The Kansas City Star, including $67,420 to pay a lawyer representing Sharp.

Clearly, this fish smells from the head down. And what is needed is a thorough house-cleaning at Sheriff’s Office headquarters in Lee’s Summit.

Forte

Even though Forte was police chief for six years and had a spotless record, there are things about him that bother me. Mainly, I have the feeling that some of these guys who have gotten to be chief, including Forte, are motivated mostly by the money. Forte, when he resigned last year was only 55 and, strikingly, came into a $500,000 windfall for accrued vacation, sick and compensatory time. He knew he had that much coming, but the public, as well as many city officials, did not.

I think the windfall contributed to his hasty, out-the-backdoor getaway: He even refused to give longtime KC Star police reporter Glenn Rice a farewell interview.

Something just doesn’t smell right there, so, if I were Frank White, I’d pass on Forte.

That leaves the two other finalists the advisory committee selected today: retired KCPD Major Rosilyn Allen and Capt. Michael Rogers, who commands the Jackson County Sheriff’s patrol division.

And from that field of two, only one should be given serious consideration because the last thing we need is an insider like Rogers.

KCUR-FM quoted Rogers as saying in his interview with the committee: “The Sheriff’s Department is not broken. We’re essentially at the highest point we’ve ever been.”

All I have to say to that is if it’s at the highest point it’s ever been, it’s about a mile and a half under water.

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Allen

I don’t know much about Maj. Allen — never heard of her before today — and The Star’s electronic library doesn’t have many stories about her. But here are some things I found out about her from a City Council resolution honoring her upon her retirement.

:: She retired in December 2013 after 30 years of KCPD service. Her last position was commander of the violent crimes division. (Whitepages.com says she’s in her 60s. I would think early 60s.)

:: She is a lifelong KC resident, has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s in public affairs. She is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Avila University’s Women’s Leadership Institute, the DEA Drug Unit Commanders Academy and the U.S. Department of Justice’s School of Organizational Leadership for Executives.

:: In 1998, she founded and served as president of the Missouri/Kansas Women in Criminal Justice, and she has served on the boards of the Rose Brooks Center, the Black Police Officers Association and the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice.

In her interview with the advisory committee, Maj. Allen said increasing diversity among the Sheriff’s Department ranks was “not a priority, it’s a necessity.”

I’ll say…KCUR has reported that out of 94 sworn deputies, 90 are white, with zero Hispanics or Asians.

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We need someone who will come in, play absolutely no politics and upend the good-ol’-boy culture that has long prevailed. I’m concerned that Forte wouldn’t go far enough and also that he might be trying to rack up another big salary and a secondary pension.

Maj. Allen looks, to me, like the person we need. I think she’s our best bet to clean up that department, expose the warts and cauterize them.

Come on, Frank, do the unexpected: tap the lady candidate and give her the opportunity to chart a new, progressive course for the Sheriff’s Office.