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Source: The Salina Journal, Kan.迷你倉Dec. 13--Carson Mansfield isn't the only longtime supervisor retiring today from Salina's criminal justice system.Lt. Scott Siemsen, Criminal Investigation Bureau commander for the Salina Police Department, and Jane Eilers, court supervisor for Salina Municipal Court, also are packing up their offices.Siemsen, who has worked for the police department for more than 31 years, plans to spend his post-law enforcement years in Tennessee with his wife, Brenda, who retired this year as Saline County treasurer.Eilers supervised municipal court for more than 17 years and worked as office manager of the Saline County Attorney's office for the six years prior.She will relocate to Florida.Both said that while they look forward to the changes ahead, they found their careers challenging and rewarding.Brad Nelson, Salina's new police chief, will decide who will replace Siemsen as investigations commander.Always an answerSiemsen said he was drawn to law enforcement for the same reasons he liked math as a student -- there was always a correct answer."Two plus two to me was always four," he said. "For me, as a stupid kid, I thought, 'Well, I should be a cop because it's either against the law or it's not.' "However, Siemsen said his years of driving a black-and-white taught him "how much gray area there is.""There are a lot of factors behind criminal acts, and you have to be able to prove things," he said. "We can have our hunch, but we have to have probable cause to make an arrest and proof beyond a reasonable doubt to convict."At the end of his law enforcement career, Siemsen was supervising the efforts of seven investigators and a crime analyst, as well as functioning as the department's public information officer. Before that, he'd been a patrol officer, dispatcher, investigator and watch commander.He was promoted to lieutenant in 2004. In 1995, he went to polygraph school and helped administer pre-employment screenings for the department, as well as give polygraphs to criminal suspects."It's been a good career," he said. "My shock factor is probably a zero -- there's not much I haven't heard or seen."Technology changesTechnology has been ever-changing. When he first started, he said, the cars were equipped with radar guns to catch speeders. A few years later, in-car cameras were installed. More recently, mobile data computer screens became standard equipment in patrol cars, and recently the department started using personal video recorders."There are certain benefits to having cameras," he said. "One is complaints. It used to come down to the officer's word versus the complainant's word. Now we can watch the video."Use of force optionsThe firepower also has improved. Siemsen said that when he first started, he carried a Smith & Wesson Model 15 revolver with six rounds in the gun and two additional ammunition pouches. He said today's officers ar文件倉 armed with semi-automatic .40-caliber guns with one magazine loaded and two more waiting."When I started, we had our firearm and our hands," he said.Now officers have a tactical baton, pepper spray and a Taser, so they have more choices for use of force to control a situation, he said.Siemsen said Salina has had years in which there have been four or five murders and years in which there haven't been any. He said he doesn't think there's a clear trend toward more violence in the city. But, he said, there is clearly an increasing use of illegal drugs, including methamphetamine, crack cocaine and herbal potpourri. He said many other types of crimes are drug-related, including at least two recent murders.Siemsen said he won't mind leaving the responsibility and stress behind."Everybody else's problems become our problems, and we have to solve them sometimes without their help or desire to help," he said.What will stick with him are the good memories of the people he worked with and the people he helped."You feel like you're accomplishing something because you're trying to make the community a better place to live and a safer place," he said. "You feel a sense of pride that you're helping do that."In good handsEilers said she feels better about leaving her job now that she knows she's leaving it in capable hands. Lieu Ann Elsey, who has been working as Salina city clerk, will assume the position.Eilers supervised the six employees in the clerk's office, the probation officer and the court officer. She made sure the court met all requirements of state law and got documents submitted accurately and on time.She said there was always a lot to do. Between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 13,682 cases were filed in municipal court, including DUIs, traffic infractions and criminal misdemeanors.She said the office has begun a transition to paperless operation and employees are figuring out a system that works for the prosecutor, judge and court officer and for getting the information to the state."It's an exciting time for the court," she said. "There might be a couple of other courts that have done that in Kansas, but we're on the cutting edge of that."Eilers said there are many aspects of her job she enjoyed. She also liked being involved with the Kansas Association for Court Management."The criminal justice system is so interesting, and it's ever-changing," she said. "There are always new laws."She said she enjoyed the people she worked with and the variety."You never knew what would happen when you came to work," she said. "It's been a great ride for me. I've loved it. It's made me feel involved in the community by doing this."-- Reporter Erin Mathews can be reached at 822-1415 or by email at emathews@salina.com.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Salina Journal (Salina, Kan.) Visit The Salina Journal (Salina, Kan.) at .saljournal.com Distributed by MCT Information Services存倉