Bodycams in Greene County? Sheriff Candidates’ Opinions Differ

With no Democratic challenger in the race for Greene County sheriff, the election will be determined in the Aug. 6 primary. Incumbent Sheriff Jim Arnott, who has served 16 years, will face Ben McMains on the Republican ballot.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office is one of the largest in the state, with 624 employees and a budget of about $54 million. The sheriff serves a four-year term. Both candidates participated in a forum hosted by the North Springfield Betterment Association on July 11. The responses below are a mix of answers from the forum and interviews with the News-Leader.

Jim Arnott

Background: The incumbent candidate in the race, Arnott, first took on the role of Greene County Sheriff in 2008. Before running for the first time, Arnott began his law enforcement career with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office 36 years ago as a police officer. He worked his way up to sergeant, lieutenant captain and chief of police before entering the race for sheriff.

Under his leadership, the office has grown in staff and size, with the new prison facility opening in mid-2022.

Earlier this year, Arnott and his ex-wife omitted properties from their tax returns and therefore failed to pay the associated property taxes. When contacted by the News-Leader about the discrepancies, Arnott said he was unaware of the problems and that the property records had been corrected and fees had been paid to get the documents in order.

Read more about it: Greene County Sheriff, Ex-Wife Correct Tax Returns With Missing Properties

Why run? Arnott said he is still running for sheriff because he wants to serve victims of crime and make the community safer.

Goals for a new term: Arnott told the News-Leader that violent crime remains a major problem in Greene County and Springfield, particularly when it comes to gang violence. To address that problem, he said he will continue to run the gang task force he has put together. Another priority of his is border security, as he notes that undocumented immigrants commit crimes, are deported, but are then allowed back into the country without further consequences.

“Unless they have a criminal history, like a conviction in the United States, it’s hard to identify them,” Arnott said. “It seems like even if you make an arrest, our system is set up to send them back and then they walk back, so it’s even less than if they had served the prison sentence for the crime.”

Body cameras: In addition to the costs associated with purchasing body cameras and storing the footage, Arnott says he opposes body cameras because the footage would expose private spaces to the public through the Sunshine Law.

“I think it’s a privacy issue,” he said. “We have cameras in the cars, we have cameras in the prison, we have cameras everywhere, but I don’t think it should be intruding on your personal space.”

Homeless: While Arnott noted that the sheriff’s office does not have the authority to enforce municipal ordinances, such as those regarding panhandling, he did emphasize that trespassing and protecting people’s property rights must be enforced.

Arnott also noted that the Sheriff’s Office already has two licensed psychologists and licensed practical counselors on staff, and that those leaving the jail can get a free taxi ride directly to the Burrell Crisis Center. A few months ago, the jail also began a program with Jordan Valley Community Health that houses a staff member at the jail who provides further resources and aftercare steps for those leaving the jail before they can be released.

Deaths in prison: Arnott said that by law, anyone who dies in custody must undergo an autopsy by the coroner. Deaths are always investigated by Greene County detectives. In a situation where personnel may have contributed to the cause of death, such as use of force, the death is investigated by the sheriff’s Critical Incident Team, which includes sheriff’s offices from Webester, Lawrence, Christian and Greene counties.

Arnott provided information on deaths at the prison since 2022, of which there have been seven in total, four of which have occurred since November 2023. Two were overdoses, one was a suicide, another two were natural causes, one was the result of a fall from a bunk bed due to a medical condition, and one was a mix of causes, including methamphetamine intoxication and mechanical asphyxia during a restraint. Only the latter, due to the involvement of restraint, was investigated by outside agencies.

Staff: Hiring and retaining law enforcement agencies across the country continues to be an uphill battle. While the Greene County Sheriff’s Office is no exception, Arnott said retention is at a 10-year high. Currently, the Sheriff’s Office is still short 30 people. The county has approved cost-of-living adjustments for all county employees and an additional $2 per hour minimum raise for officers in the Sheriff’s Office. In an effort to attract more people and keep them, Arnott said they’ve launched a program to hire applicants without a high school diploma or GED and have them take a GED class, opened up the application process to those 18 and older, and have a program that puts existing officers through the Law Enforcement Academy.

Ben McMains

Background: McMains has 18 years of law enforcement experience in the Ozarks, having served as a deputy sheriff in Laclede County, a police chief in Conway, a bailiff for the Greene County courts, and a police officer and ultimately a school resource officer in Fair Grove.

He left the courts in 2021 when he was ousted and could no longer serve as a judicial officer. In Fair Grove, McMains was at the center of a conflict between some community members and the Fair Grove Board of Aldermen, which ousted him in January and removed him as SRO.

Read more about it: Fair Grove community supports former SRO during appeal hearing, but council members refuse to budge

McMains currently works at Prime Inc.

According to Casenet, McMains has had three lawsuits pending in the past six years regarding debt collection, two of which involve medical bills and one involving credit card debt. All three have since been paid off.

“Honestly, we’re all going through tough times, especially lately, but there’s no excuse,” he said. “Honestly, we love taking our kids on vacation. I’d rather my kids have memories than sit there and worry about a bill. That’s really the heart of it — I have no excuse.”

Why run? His experience with dismantling, which McMains links to Arnott, is a motivator for his decision to challenge the incumbent. McMains said Greene County is in need of change and his wealth of law enforcement experience can provide a fresh perspective.

Goals for a new term: McMains aims to bring a fresh and diverse perspective to the Sheriff’s Office, with an emphasis on transparency, accountability and fostering relationships with other agencies and local youth.

“They (the youth) are our future,” he said. “If you want to see crime rates go down, we have to build better relationships with them.”

Body cameras: McMains wants to get body cameras for officers who respond to crimes and patrol the streets of Greene County to make the department more accountable. During the NSBA forum, McMains noted that there are grants that could cover some of the cost of the cameras and accused Arnott of wasting money on other, unnecessary expenses.

Homeless: McMains said he would love to have a program similar to the mental health program at the Springfield Police Department. He emphasized the balance between enforcing the law and property rights, and connecting homeless people with local organizations and resources. He said simply moving people in and out of jail is not a solution.

Deaths in prison: As part of his accountability platform, McMains also pledged to engage outside agencies to investigate all prison deaths, rather than having them handled internally. This was a way to further his platform of accountability and transparency.

Staff: McMains believes new leadership at the Sheriff’s Office can boost employee morale. If elected, he said one of the main goals for his first year would be to reach out to employees and hear their ideas and complaints about the department. He said he doesn’t support hiring incentives if they don’t also include retention incentives.

“If you have happy employees, they’ll spread the word. They’ll talk to other people and say, ‘Hey, you should come work for the Sheriff’s Department,'” he said.

More: What’s on the ballot in Springfield and Greene County in the August primary?

How much money did each campaign raise?

In June, Arnott’s campaign committee, Citizens for Jim Arnott, raised $25,000, though $20,000 of that came exclusively from Brent Davis, owner of Bristol Manufacturing Corp. in Springfield, according to filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Joe Turner, president and CEO of Great Southern Bank, and the Great Southern Bank Employees Good Government Committee each contributed $1,000 to Arnott’s re-election. Jeff Layman, a financial adviser at Wells Fargo, donated $2,500 to the campaign, and Gene McKeen, a Turner retiree and member of the board of directors of the Greene County 100 Club, donated $500.

McMains reported raising $3,360 for his campaign from April through the end of June. His campaign MEC filings show strong financial support from both his family and other Fair Grove residents.

These are the people who donated to Ben McMains’ Election Committee:

Amanda McMains, teacher at Fair Grove School District and wife of Ben McMains – $795
Jeffrey Hilton, Springfield retiree – $250
Michael McMains, Texas Psychologist – $200
Cathy Maples, retiree from Fair Grove – $730
Rick Cantwell, retiree from Fair Grove – $500
Thomas Voorhis, recently elected mayor of Fair Grove and captain of the Brookline Fire Department – $100
Rebecca Carr, retiree from Fair Grove – $178.45
Stephen Greninger, Self Employed in Springfield – $350
Cindy Sparks, Springfield Retiree – $200
Shawn Eakins, retiree from Fair Grove – $100
Tasha Smith, Fair Grove resident – $100
Joe Myers, Fair Grove resident – $100
Tiffany Browning, Ozark retailer – $1,198.46