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Settling In
Grant Applications Up
By CINDY MAHAN
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
Gary Settle has now been in his newJ position' as Rappahannock County Sheriff for over six weeks and he has been busy.
He has submitted four grants in the past month, and followed up on a COPS (community oriented policing services) grant which had been applied for last year. The COPS grant would provide funds for a full-time position for community policing. After sending in more justification for the COPS grant, Sheriff Settle said he has recently received the news that the Sheriffs Office has been selected for the program, but is still awaiting word that they have received the award grant. The federal grant is a three-year block grant which could provide between $55,000 to - $70,000 for the position, and it could be reapplied for at the end of three years. The sheriff feels confident that his office will get the grant, and the position would not cost the taxpayers anything.
If the grant approval is received, Sheriff Settle hopes to hire someone within the next 30 to 90 days. Most of the community policing is presently done by Capt. Jeff Brown.
One of the grants which has already been received is from the Department of Motor Vehicles to promote highway safety and the use of seat belts. Regarding applying for grants, Sheriff Settle said, “Persistence pays off.”
One of the biggest changes in the Sheriff s Office, said Sheriff Settle, is that they are trying to involve the employees in an accountability process, making them more responsible for their activities; This is to combat the problem of overtime, which last year resulted in the county paying $37,000 overtime pay to employees of the Sheriff’s Office. With the accountability process, employees are asked to keep track of their time on a daily basis. Time was a big issue, said Sheriff Settle. “If we can make our people happy then we provide a better service for our citizens,” he said.
Also, employees are held accountable for their equipment that may need repair. As an example, if a deputy’s radar is malfunctioning, that deputy should fill out the paperwork and send off the radar for repair. Sheriff Settle said they are trying to streamline what everyone’s responsibility is and expose everyone to as many things as possible.
See Settle, Page A-6
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