Sheriff Gives Merit Board Update On Department Happenings
Sheriff Gives Merit Board Update On Department Happenings
Posted
Amanda Bridgman-
Sheriff Gives Merit Board Update On Department HappeningsInterested individuals have until Monday to apply for a merit deputy position with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Kyle Dukes said at the KCSO Merit Board meeting Wednesday that 23 people have applied for the three open positions that need filled due to retirements. KCSO also is looking to hire one person for a jail officer position.
Currently, there are 260 inmates housed in the Kosciusko County Jail, 84 inmates serving their time at the county’s work release center and roughly 60 people participating in the community corrections program, Dukes said.
All inmates and KCSO employees are COVID free, and everyone who wanted a COVID vaccine has received one, the sheriff reported.
Dukes said KCSO matron Kris Woodard has been sitting through food service presentations from vendors to help streamline the food service at the jail and work release center to cut down on costs. Dukes said there is no need to have one company to deliver pallets of food to the jail and another company to deliver pallets of food to the work release center.
Another way the sheriff’s office is trying to find efficiency is by making the process to apply for the county’s work release program or community corrections program one application process.
Currently, defendants who want to use the alternative sentencing options have to apply to both separately, and at times one program would accept their admission while the other would not. It “muddies the water” at sentencings, KCSO Merit Board member Tony Garza said.
The Jail Chemical Addiction Program (JCAP) will be starting back up March 1 with a men’s class, Dukes said, along with the jail ministry services. Those programs had been put on hold due to COVID-19.
