New program aims at crime prevention in rural Winneshiek County

The Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office has expanded its crime prevention efforts by creating a new Rural Business Notification Program. 

Participants in the Rural Business Notification Program receive e-mail alerts from the Sheriff's Office notifying them of criminal activity, including people being investigated for writing checks from closed accounts and/or accounts with insufficient funds. 

With guidance from the Winneshiek County Attorney's Office, the Rural Business Notification Program was developed by Deputy Gordon Buss, who is passionate about preventing crime before it starts.  He says, "There were few resources designed to reach businesses in all of Winneshiek County.  As more and more businesses were becoming victim to criminal activity, I saw the need for increased prevention efforts," says Deputy Buss.  "I took this idea to Sheriff (Dan) Marx knowing he has a very pro-active, open-minded approach to law enforcement."  Sheriff Marx, who immediately supported the project, says, "We would much prefer to focus on preventing crime, than chasing it down after the fact."

To reach Winneshiek County businesses, Sheriff Marx and Deputy Buss personally contacted and visited many businesses to share the details of the program and invite them to participate.  They received a very positive response.

"Business owners in Winneshiek County appreciate that we are reaching out to them.  A bad check can cause real hardship for small businesses; they should not have to deal with theft that, with the right information, can be prevented," says Deputy Buss.

A long-time officer in northeast Iowa, Deputy Buss has 33 years of law enforcement experience.  He serves as secretary/treasurer for the Northeast Iowa Drug Task Force, an organization he has been a member of for 24 years.  In the same time span, Deputy Buss has also served as an Iowa Law Enforcement Intelligent Network Officer and a Crime Scene Investigations Officer.

As the Rural Business Notification Program has grown, the benefits have emerged with Deputy Buss reporting fewer bad check cases since the onset of the program in July.  Additionally, Sheriff Marx says the database has improved their ability to reach residents of Winneshiek County with time-sensitive information for any kind of emergency, not just business-related crime.  "It is a win-win program," says Sheriff Marx.  "We will continue to re-look at and re-think our approach to law enforcement to ensure Winneshiek County is receiving the most valuable and efficient services as possible.  Much like our newly implemented Medical Response Unit, this program is yet another way of serving the public.  I appreciate Deputy Buss' initiative and enthusiasm for the program on behalf of the people of Winneshiek County."

Although the initial focus was rural businesses, any Winneshiek County business is welcome to enroll in the program free of charge by emailing their business name, address, phone number and email address to sheriff@co.winneshiek.ia.us.