ANN ARBOR, Mich. – With more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement, Ken Magee aims to shape the future of local crime prevention and victim support in Washtenaw County.
A former federal agent and chief of police, he is running to be the next Washtenaw County Sheriff, and plans to use his extensive experience to fight crime
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Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Magee has led operations protecting presidents, testifying against terrorists and participating in global investigations.
The following interview was conducted via email.
In your opinion, what are some of the biggest issues the county faces? How do you intend to tackle these, if elected?
I see the biggest obstacles facing Washtenaw County as multi-faceted. First off, we are on the brink of a law enforcement crisis in Washtenaw County, as employees continue to exit the Sheriff’s Office and staffing is down approximately 30%. This shortage creates a requirement for massive amounts of overtime, and presents safety and mental health concerns for overworked employees. I have a robust plan to improve recruiting and employee retention. I have a great deal of experience in the area of recruiting and will utilize my thirty years of law enforcement experience, which includes executive leadership, to bring a solution to this staffing shortage which has had a negative impact among the ranks of road deputies, dispatchers, and correctional officers. While the staffing shortage impacts the department within, it also has a dramatic impact on the operations in the community.
Another major crisis impacting the County is the opioid epidemic, which continues to kill hundreds of our citizens. Currently, there are no concentrated efforts to attack this problem head-on. I have created a strategy which will provide treatment to individuals with substance abuse disorders, as opposed to incarceration, while at the same time holding drug dealers accountable who are peddling their poison on our streets. My decades of experience have taught me that this is a complex situation and I have therefore created a model with a 360-degree approach to attack this crisis; the model has the acronym PETER which stands for Prevention, Enforcement, Treatment, Education, and Recovery. This model incorporates all stakeholders in our community. This is a community problem that is not being addressed at the highest levels of the Sheriff’s Office, or getting the attention that any life-threatening situation demands. As the next Sheriff, I will lead the charge by bringing together all of these stakeholders.
Gun violence is ravaging our community. Last year, our County had 23 murders, one of the highest numbers in history. So far this year, the situation is getting worse with over 40 shootings in the last five months. Gun violence impacts all members of our community whether directly or indirectly. I’ve also created a strategy to combat gun violence, which I’ve broken into four different categories- Street Violence; Domestic Violence; Accidental Shootings; Suicides. Attacking each of these categories requires a specific approach where I will incorporate multijurisdictional task forces to address the root cause of each of these through enforcement and education.
While addressing the above issues that impact our County, it is imperative that we also elevate the Sheriff’s Office’s commitment to accountability and transparency. A transparent law enforcement agency is also a law enforcement agency that has more trust from the public. An in-depth look at my concerns of staffing, the opioid epidemic, gun violence, and accountability and transparency, can be found on my website.
What are some changes that you would like to see be made at the Sheriff’s Office?
I will bring in specialized units and create multijurisdictional taskforces to combat gun violence, to include a specialized domestic violence investigation unit, and improve efforts to assist victims of domestic violence find resources within the community to assist them in their journey to healing and wholeness.
Along with teams of experts in the various disciplines that the Sheriff commands, I will facilitate a complete review and audit of all existing programs at the Sheriff’s Office to ensure that our tax dollars are being effectively utilized, and communicate the findings to the public.
High-level positions within the Sheriff’s department will be scrutinized for their effectiveness, and I will reduce the number of high-level political appointees, transferring those funds to public safety programming and employee development.
I will transform part of the jail facility into a comprehensive treatment center to assist those who may be incarcerated to receive treatment and re-entry resources to improve efficacy and recidivism rates.
With the elimination of high-level political appointees, I will be able to hire more substance-use disorder councilors while also using those funds to enhance the Freedom of Information Act department by providing more staffing to assist the public in attaining information about the Sheriff’s Department. With the increased transparency and accountability, I hope to make the public perception of the Sheriff’s Office one as an agency that is here to help, not just a punitive unit of government. My goal is to also provide the public with easy-to-understand documentation on how dollars are spent, to include enforcement, education, and mental health.
As previously stated, staffing is the key issue leading to a law enforcement crisis. From day one, I will be a leader who is present and working diligently to find qualified applicants to join the ranks of the Sheriff’s Office. I realize as a leader, proper planning for employee recruitment and retention is imperative to the success of any law enforcement agency. Addressing this concern is a huge change within the department, as the crisis we find ourselves in did not happen overnight and has resulted in a snowball effect over the years. In conclusion, there can be no effective change if you do not have the employees to make the difference.
What do you love most about Washtenaw County?
I was born and raised in Washtenaw County, specifically Ann Arbor, and I’ve always enjoyed the rural recreation that the County provides, from lakes parks, trails, and diverse events. As a youngster, I would ride my bike to County parks while traversing the sprawling City of Ann Arbor where the University and community are co-mingled. As a historian of the University of Michigan history, I have seen the growth and change of our community as the urban sprawl increases, and the challenges that it brings with it. I have studied our area for decades and know our community’s history which is rich in diversity, education, sports, farming, and business. Even after living on multiple continents and experiencing the world in all its glory over my career, Washtenaw County is still the most unique community that I know of, treasure, and am so lucky to call home, once again.
During my law enforcement career which spanned three decades, I’ve always had the goal of returning to Washtenaw County, and I was fortunate enough to do so when I was hired on as Chief of Police for the University of Michigan where I established numerous safety plans. As the next Sheriff of Washtenaw County, I look forward to enhancing the safety of our entire County, from north to south, and east to west borders. I will accomplish this by establishing safety plans that can be found on my website, which will enhance the safety of our community for our future generations.
Learn more about Ken Magee at his campaign website.
All About Ann Arbor reached out to all three candidates running for the position of Washtenaw County Sheriff with the same questions.