The recently released State Auditor's report on Sheriff Chad Anderson raises more questions than just those contained within the audit itself.
The audit examines the years of 2022 and 2023, yet it is only now being released as Missouri's State Auditor Fitzpatrick faces a contested primary election. That timing is, at the very least, interesting.
Simply a coincidence? Perhaps. State audits often take considerable time to complete. But when an audit that has been in progress for years is released during an election season, it is fair for citizens to ask whether the timing is driven solely by administrative process or whether political considerations played some role. That is a reasonable question, not an accusation.
Those of us who have watched this process unfold for the last few years know there is more to the story than a letter grade assigned based on the opinions of an auditor. The Bates County Sheriff's Office and its volunteer Sheriff's Posse have served this community with dedication for years.
The Mounted Sheriff's Patrol (county owned horses and equipment) is not a novelty—it is a trained unit that has assisted with public safety, emergency response, search efforts, as well as the so called wasteful spending on community events.
Likewise the Sheriff's Posse volunteers, their horses and equipment, have devoted countless hours of training and service without expecting anything in return. They do this not for themselves but for the communities they live in. Just like your local volunteer firefighters. They have proven to be an important tool for the Sheriff’s Office. Its completely reasonable to offer first aid training, purchase tee shirts for identifying them on scene, and yes saddle pads that also identify their purpose.
An auditor is certainly entitled to interpret statutes and accounting practices. However, that interpretation is not the final word on the legality or value of a program that has benefited Bates County for years. There is often a difference between an auditor's opinion and the practical realities faced by local law enforcement.
And its just that... an opinion of an auditor who lives outside of Bates County. Who may have never set foot in our county. Not someone who lives here and knows our local culture and way we live, or the practicalities of a search and rescue of 1400 wooded acres.
It's also an auditor that has never walked in law enforcement shoes. Law enforcement, community policing and serving the citizens in the LEO role is vastly different from that of a politician. What seems wasteful to a politician may save lives from a LEO perspective.
As citizens, we should read the audit carefully, ask questions, and consider all sides before reaching conclusions. I am particularly grieved over the inflammatory wording of this audit. Knowing the facts as well as I do, I see lots of detail left out that leaves a raw and unfair perception. Why?
Election years have a way of magnifying every headline, and perception can become just as influential as fact. And politicians know that very well.
The people of Bates County deserve transparency, fairness, and context—not just a headline or a grade. They get that from Sheriff Anderson every day, 365 days a year.
Thank you,
Shelly Harrison
Bates County Sheriff’s Posse
#MidAmericaLive
