BUTLER COUNTY, OHIO — Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones is making some changes to ensure the community is prepared for any terrorism threats.
Jones announced the changes after getting back to Butler County from a National Sheriff Association meeting in Washington D.C. where he said they heard from the FBI director on terrorism threats.
“We were told by the FBI director, it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when," Jones said.
He wants to make sure Butler County is prepared so he said he's equipping every sheriff's department vehicle with a rifle and a "go bag," which has extra magazines for the rifles and other necessities.
Jones also announced he's working to boost security by looking into drone detection technology for the sheriff's office.
“We’re looking at maybe squad training. We train for school shootings, what to do when we get there, mall shootings. We’re going to look at things a little differently," he said.
The steps Jones is taking go beyond his department too. He's working to make sure community members have the tools they need too.
“We’re going to start training civilians on what to do when disasters hit and emergencies hit,” he said.
The sheriff's office is working with Texas A&M to offer a class, which Jones said is full, so he's working to make more of them available.
Jones also said he's asked two local state representatives — Rep. Sara Carruthers (R-Butler County) and Rep. Cindy Abrams (R-Hamilton County) — to introduce legislation at the Statehouse.
“That the governor appoint a task force to do interdiction on people and drugs coming in across our waterways and our borders into the state of Ohio," he said.
Jones also asked for legislation that would allow state law enforcement to arrest and charge illegal immigrants in Ohio and create a full-time cybersecurity department for the state.
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