Ozark, Missouri Police Chief Lyle Hodges Throws Away $30,000

I keep wondering why my taxes in Christian County, Missouri are skyrocketing, and then I read this. A Christian Country reporter became frustrated with the lack of automation within the Ozark Police Department as he was doing research on the number of felonies committed in Christian County during the recession. From the way the local reporter described the workflow processes at the Ozark Police Department, it sounds like Barney Fife is running the place.

The city of Ozark, Missouri, pays a clerk to manually pull cases from file cabinets that could be easily filed and pulled from a computer database. I remind you its 2009, but it gets better. The Ozark Police Chief oversaw the installation of computer software that was supposed to automate case filing and retrievals. However, after a short period of time, it just wasn't working for the Ozark Police Department, so they threw the software out at the taxpayer's expense.

The cost of the software was at least $30,000. Chief Hodges says the software just simply, 'didn't work.' It must be nice to be able to waste taxpayer's money Chief. Surely if you had done some homework and spent the time needed to find the right system, taxpayers wouldn't be out the minimum of $30,000 for your ignorance. Please be sure to thank Chief Lodges for contributing to government waste the next time you see him.

Oh, but it gets better. We all know how gas prices affected many communities last year by placing a burden on services like police. Well, Chief Hodges wasn't using his head either. It seems the city of Ozark receive $300,000 in drug forfeiture money. The first purchase the Chief Hodges made were two new SUVs for Ozark Policemen to drive around in. Why Chief? Our winters in Ozark don't warrant the need for all the luxury SUVs the force now drives around in costing the city more in gas expenses than necessary.

All the while, the Ozark Police Department is still paying a clerk to pull records that a computer could pull in a fraction of time. Perhaps it wasn't the computer software at the Ozark Police Department that was the problem. Maybe it was the dimwits who make up the Ozark Police Department that's the problem. It's not just blonds who put whiteout on computer screens after all. Thickheaded Johnny Law types that display antisocial behavior and can't put together more than a couple syllables may be to blame. You know--cops that taser a teenager on the side of the road with a broken back 19 times--we aren't talking logical people here.

Let me spell it out to the dimwits at the Ozark Police Department. The cost of computer software would pay for itself in just over a year and then start saving taxpayers money--unlike the SUVs you bought that get poor gas mileage but have comfy seats for asses made of donuts.

All the while, the Christian County Headliner reporter reminds the community that Chief Hodges is too busy buying SUVs and making bad decisions with computer software to serve up any valuable information about the Ozark Dodge murder investigation, where Rufus Church was killed early in the morning in the garage area of Central Dodge. Police Chief Hodges laughs when asked about the murder saying he isn't going to talk about that anymore. Why not Chief? Too busy spending money?

I agree with Chris J. Cluck, reporter of the Christian County Headliner, the Ozark Police Department does need major changes. Ozark residents should call Mayor Bradley Jackson office and demand accountability with the Ozark Police. Residents of Ozark shouldn't have to pay for Chief Hodges mistakes. mayorjackson@ozarkmissouri.org or call Mayor Jackson at: 417-581-2407 and demand accountability from the Ozark Police Department. The Ozark Police Department have been nothing short of embarrassing over the past two years considering their wasteful spending, tasering of a teenage boy, and the controversial investigation of Rufus Church's death.