Sturch set to become new 911 director

Sturch set to become new 911 director

JP gives up Quorum Court seat to take position

news@theeveningtimes.com

Crittenden County’s loss is, well, Crittenden County’s gain, but in another capacity.

In a surprise announcement, Justice Ronnie Sturch told the Quorum Court that he is resigning his seat to become the county’s 911 Center Director on July 1.

“It has been an honor to serve the people of District 12 over the last six years,” Sturch said. “It was a bittersweet decision for me. I want to say that I have certainly enjoyed working with everyone on this court. It has been an amazing experience. Emergency service has always been my passion and I am excited to be getting back in to it.”

Sheriff Mike Allen said Sturch is well qualified for the job. In addition to having served in county government, Sturch also has extensive experience in emergency services.

Sturch was the arson inspector and training officer for West Memphis Fire Department — the No. 2 man in the department — for 11 years, before changing careers to go into construction and real estate.

“I worked with Ronnie a long time ago when I was an investigator at the West Memphis Police Department and he was the arson investigator,” Allen said.

“He’s got good business sense and knows county business. He has worked with dispatchers. So he’s familiar with that kind of stuff. He kind of fit the mold for what we were looking for.”

Allen said he actually sought Sturch out this time and asked him to apply.

“He had shown interest a couple of years ago when we first hired a 911 director,” Allen said. “But at that time I had already filled the position. But he has been on my mind. He saw that I was looking to fill the position and applied. It’s almost like I have been interviewing him for 20 years.”

Allen said Sturch will oversee a staff of about 12 dispatchers and will work with the various police and fire departments and ambulance

services, and will also

seek out grants and help upgrade the phone system and update the GIS maps.

“We found a lot of GIS problems,” Allen said.

“You can take somebody’s address and punch it in you GPS and the GIS mapping is way off. They’re not correcting it. We’re going to try and update all of that.

So I am very, very pleased and excited to have him. I think he will do a wonderful job and is the kind of person where his past experience will be a real asset for the sheriff’s department and the 911 system.”

Sturch has already met with the dispatchers and will be getting some training time in before he officially takes over on July 1.

“My background was originally with the fire and emergency services,” Sturch said. “But it has been a long time. So I am going to have to bring myself up to speed. A lot of the technologies have changed. But I am excited about it.

“I’m not going to come in and make a lot of changes or anything,” Sturch continued. “We are going to start reviewing things and we are going to try and make this the best dispatch center in the state of Arkansas. And, as a matter of fact, we’re going to make it a model for the nation.”

Sturch said he will be sad to leave the Quorum Court.

“I am going to miss that tremendously,” Sturch said.

“That was the hardest part of the decision. I knew I was going to have to give that up. But I always said when I came in to this that I wasn’t going to be a career politician and serve 20 years.”

County Judge Woody Wheeless said he was surprised by the announcement,

and that Sturch will

be missed.

“Ronnie, we are definitely going to miss you,” Wheeless said. You have been a big asset to the court. And I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with you. I’m still grateful that I will be able to continue working with you — just in a different capacity. But I appreciate all you have done to take make this county a better place.”

Sturch served as chairman of the county’s buildings committee and was instrumental in overseeing the renovation of the former health department building into offices for the county’s two circuit court judges as well as the renovation of new offices in the county building for the election commission which saved the county thousands of dollars in rent.

“We will miss you,” said Justice Vickie Robertson.

“All I can say, is your loss is my gain,” Allen added.

Sturch said he is looking forward to working with Sheriff Allen and the Quorum Court in his new position.

“I feel like I did a good job and represented the people of District 12 to the best of my ability,” Sturch said.

“But it is time to close that chapter.”

By Mark Randall