Minutes-05-18-2023-Budget Work Session

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21 Commissioner Richards asked if it is video or actual in-person visits. Sheriff Blackwood said that it is in-person, and the attorneys are using it now. He said that in-person visits are starting back this month. He said that he understands the confusion because it is not a simple operation. He said that if there are 100 people in the jail and 50 leave, that does not mean that deputies can simply be sent home. He said they have to stay at the workstations. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if any of the 9 would be used to cover tower shifts. Sheriff Blackwood said the goal is to have 4 in the tower. He said sometimes there is only 1 in the tower. Commissioner Portie-Ascott said when she toured, she saw how difficult it was for one person to work in the tower and really see what is happening in the units. She said that she is happy to see that the staff will be used in the tower. Sheriff Blackwood said that is one of their biggest concerns. He said that when a deputy is running screens, they also open and close every door in the building. He said while they are doing that, they do not have the time to look out the window. Travis Myren clarified that the tower is central control. Commissioner Hamilton asked about rightsizing. Kirk Vaughn said they reviewed the trend of actuals in the accounts and the budget increased to match the actuals being received. Commissioner Hamilton asked if it was not reflected before. Kirk Vaughn said they were not. Commissioner Fowler asked if the 31 is an addition. Sheriff Blackwood said of the 31, 15 were awarded to the office and of the 15, 9 have been hired and 8 will be hired within the week. He said that of the 4 that is being given now, 2 are factored into the 8 and 2 more will be added. He said that leaves a balance of 10-12. Commissioner Fowler asked how many staff are in the detention center. Sheriff Blackwood said around 38. Commissioner Richards asked if all internet issues are resolved to enable telehealth and other visitation services. Sheriff Blackwood said Froi Romero in IT was able to identify every call came through the system in the jail, and once he flipped the switch, it took the load off of them and the other systems worked more robustly. He said the telehealth camera was purchased and is close to being implemented. Commissioner Richards asked when that ability can be expected. Sheriff Blackwood said the system is very sensitive and gives the doctor the ability to look at facial movements and body movements. He said that it should be up and running very soon. Chair Bedford said she was with him when the Attorney General was at the meeting, and he is on the state committee for recruiting and retaining. She said he mentioned some strategies like part time officers. She asked if that has happened. Sheriff Blackwood said that has not happened yet. He said there were 31 identified and of the 31 initiatives, there were 5 identified as low hanging fruit. He said he has a meeting with the director of Crime Control and Public Safety, and they will meet with others to discuss hiring and retention. He said there are a lot of ideas out there, some may require legislative changes, but there is a lot of low-hanging fruit. Chair Bedford asked how many non-detention officer vacancies there are. Sheriff Blackwood said that on patrol there are 5 vacancies. He said that in regard to personnel, 30 years ago there was a program implemented by the federal government that hired 100,000 cops through grants. He said those numbers are now retirement age. He said that he will have at least 6 retiring from natural attrition. He said that while there are many reasons that people leave the industry, he said they are not losing people at the rapid rates of surrounding agencies. He said that a big part of that is the support from the Board.