A Message from James Glover: President of the Lebanon Police Association

What I have written below is my own express opinion and experience, and is in no way a direct expression or viewpoint of my agency.

When I was hired as a Police Officer with the City of Lebanon 14 years ago, I was introduced to a unique feature of the Lebanon Justice Center: the Lebanon Municipal Jail.

For many years, people who had been convicted of misdemeanor crimes within the City Limits of Lebanon and sentenced to jail time would serve that time inside the Lebanon Municipal Jail. More importantly, people for whom arrest warrants were issued through the Lebanon Municipal Court would also be lodged in our jail when contacted and arrested not only by Lebanon Police Officers, but also Officers in surrounding jurisdictions.

Often those misdemeanor crimes tried in our Municipal Court were crimes such as theft, trespassing, DUII, and other crimes some would consider ‘low-level’ offenses. As a Police Officer responding to these sorts of reports, I began over time to view these kind of offenses as rather being livability crimes in how they affected the reporting parties and victims I contacted.

These are the kinds of crimes that when tried in other municipal courts largely do not come with the potential accountability amounting to jail time, especially for repeat offenders. This is due to the fact that county jails have to balance the population of offenders from multiple municipal courts and the felony crimes tried in the circuit court.

What made the Lebanon Municipal Jail unique was that as a city, we could keep our own accountable for the livability crimes committed in our own city.

Unfortunately for those many years, Lebanon Police Officers were required to not only book, fingerprint, photograph, document, change out, and lodge subjects. We were also required to perform hourly checks, prepare meals, dispense medications, and respond to potentially liability-incurring emergencies within the jail. On top of patrol duties, these requirements existed whether we were at minimum staffing for the shift (2 Officers) or had a full shift (4-5 Officers). Operating the jail in this way became unsustainable.

As a result, many subjects we come across that have arrest warrants issued through the Lebanon Municipal Court get issued citations to appear in court. Many never do and sometimes tell us that they never intend to as we send them on their way. This is a stark and disheartening departure from how things used to be when I started.

By voting Yes to Reopen the Lebanon Jail, it will provide for actual Corrections Officers that will staff the jail full-time and provide the direct supervision of adults in custody (AICs) that AIC always deserved, as well as allow for Patrol Officers to get back on the road as quickly as possible after making an arrest.

By voting No, the lack of accountability for livability crimes will continue as they have since 2023. Lebanon deserves better, which is why this effort is endorsed by the Lebanon Police Association, Teamsters Local 223, and Teamsters Joint Council 37.