Rayma Silvers/Tribune Photo

After nearly three decades in law enforcement, Bourbon County Sheriff Harold Coleman is retiring from the office of sheriff.

According to Coleman, during his years as sheriff, he has maintained a good rapport with the residents of Bourbon County making sure he was accessible to people in their time of need.

The position of sheriff encompasses various duties, according to Coleman. First of all, the sheriff is charged with being the "legs of the court." In this capacity, the sheriff is required to make sure various court documents such as subpoenas, court summonses, and warrants are served to area residents. Sometimes, Coleman said, the documents need to be served in another state. The sheriff is responsible for this as well.

The sheriff is also responsible for the protection of both the lives and the property of Bourbon County residents, Coleman said. In order to provide this protection, the sheriff must make sure the people under his or her supervision are properly trained. It is also the sheriff's responsibility to make sure crimes which occur under his or her jurisdiction are thoroughly investigated and adequately documented. With the help of the county treasurer, the sheriff must also ensure that all personal property taxes are collected. In addition, the sheriff is the administrator of the Southeast Kansas Correctional Center, and is the incident commander for the county should any type of disaster occur whether man-made or biological, Coleman said. In every aspect of the job, Coleman said the sheriff should be of good character.

"The sheriff should have integrity, credibility and confidentiality," he said.

Coleman began his law enforcement career in the early 1970s as a sheriff's deputy under former sheriff Harold Stewart. Coleman added he was one of the first Bourbon County deputies to attend the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. Not long after he was hired as a deputy, Coleman was promoted to undersheriff. Coleman said after working as both a deputy and undersheriff for about three years, low wages caused him to seek employment elsewhere.

After working for nine years in a non-law-enforcement capacity, Coleman received word that Stewart was retiring. He then began campaigning to be the next sheriff for the county. Area residents voted in his favor continuing the tradition of having a sheriff named Harold in the county. This tradition has lasted for 40 years, as Coleman has been re-elected to six consecutive terms, serving the county as sheriff for 24 years.

Although he won't elaborate on them, Coleman said there are some changes which he would make if he were to continue serving the county in the capacity of sheriff. In regards to changes he would have made in the correctional center, if he were not retiring from sheriff, Coleman said he would not make any changes.

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"If it's not broke, don't fix it," Coleman said.

Acknowledging the current population problem at the jail, Coleman said the county houses the female inmates in Cherokee County at the present time. Although this may not seem like a fair arrangement to the inmate's family members, Coleman said until a larger facility can be constructed there are not many other options.

According to Coleman, one of the best tasks he has completed as sheriff is the acquiring and maintaining of quality personnel in the sheriff department. Adding he has worked to make the wages of those employed at the department as competitive as possible. He said he has also worked diligently to ensure the sheriff's department is adequately equipped for the tasks that have to be done.

"This is as good of a trained group as Bourbon County has had for a long time," Coleman said. "We have been fortunate to have quality personnel who answer to numerous problems. It's not just putting a body in the slot. It's placing an officer in a position."