The bright and airy office was full of the hum of conversation. About 40 people milled around, either standing or sitting. Some chatted with each other. Others waited. A pile of fluorescent vests shines from across the room, where it sat on the floor.
Many of the people were smiling or laughing. In a way, it was like any other friendly gathering. Though in this case, everyone was gathered with a purpose -- to give back to the community.
Most of the people standing in the room are part of community sentencing through Oklahoma Court Services. With help from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), they take part in volunteer opportunities every month.
“We developed a program for these guys to go out, give back to the community, feel responsible for being a positive contribution, back to helping the community, and they get hours taken out of the community service,” said LCSO Sgt. Phil Bennett.
The program has put together food drives, candy drives and more. At least once a month, Bennett helps run and organize a trash pick-up along roadsides in the county, which is why everyone was gathered at the OCS office in Chandler on Feb. 25.
The group of 40 split up into three sections, with one following Melissa Johnson, probation supervisor and overall organizer of many of the events and programs, to Wellston. Another stayed with Bennett and a reserve deputy in Chandler, while the last headed over to meet the Stroud PD and Sac and Fox PD in Stroud.
“A lot of these guys, I’ve dealt with for years. And they’re in and out of jail, they’re in and out of rehab programs. And sometimes, people are, ‘You’re a bad guy, I’m not going to interact with you,’” he said. “That don’t work… It’s a great program… And the sheriff’s office is 110 percent behind every bit of it. Because there’s more that we can do.”