They say that sun light is the best disinfectant and as your Sheriff, I have always been about transparency. I feel it is my duty as an elected Public SERVANT to let the people I work for, YOU, know what is going on in YOUR government.
During the last couple of years while the County Jail was part of the Sheriff’s Office, we tried to get many improvements to the jail. These improvements included:
- Cleaning out the clogged ventilation/heating/cooling ducts so that air flow would be improved for staff and inmate health and comfort.
- Additional security cameras to cover blind spots to protect the Jail Deputies.
- New, reinforced TV monitor enclosures that would allow staff quick, easy and safe access.
- More staff for better security and safety of both the inmates and Deputies.
- Biometric monitors which would alert staff immediately if an inmate’s heart rate or breathing showed signs of distress, which would allow staff to respond to the emergency and get the inmate medical aid right away.
- A part time nurse that would meet with inmates at least weekly.
- Jail safe vent covers that would not allow anything to be tied to them.
All of these things were denied by the previous board including the current Commissioner, Lori Zoller. At the time we requested the biometric monitors be installed, we had a grant to pay for them, that request to install them was denied by the board.
The TV enclosures and monitors were bought and paid for using inmate welfare funds. These funds come from the inmates paying for snacks, phone calls etc. No tax payer money was used to purchase them. When they arrived and were ready to be installed your commissioner, Lori Zoller, put a stop to them being installed for weeks.
Since the takeover of the jail by the Commissioners, the jail budget has been increased by over three quarters of a million dollars, over and above what it was under the Sheriff. The vents have been cleaned. Additional Security Cameras have been installed. Biometric scanners have been installed. New vent covers were installed.
In addition, the Sheriff’s Office budget has been cut by almost $382,020 which effects our staffing level and the safety of not only the Deputies on duty with limited backup, but also the general public, YOU. As a result of this cut, we have minimal coverage for a very large county. Sometimes there is only one or two Deputies on duty at a time. We are faced with an increase of overtime spending and over working our Deputies. If this continues much longer, we will be forced to make cuts to the services we provide to YOU.
By taking this money from the Sheriff’s budget, the County Commissioners have not only created an unsafe working environment for our Deputies but also an unsafe environment for you the Citizens. With less Deputies on the road there is less we can do. This has to change.
In Conclusion,
I am happy that the jail has, at long last, received the upgrades that we tried so hard to get but were denied when it was under the Sheriff’s Office. That was obviously a political move by the former board including the current Board Member Lori Zoller. It is a shame that she would put the safety and welfare of the inmates and corrections officers at risk for a political ploy but that is what she did. With the defunding of my Office by $382,020 it is clear that the political ploy continues and with that we need YOUR help. I am only asking that all of the money that was taken from my budget be returned. With it we can at least return to the staffing level that the Sheriff’s Office has had for the last 20 years with no increase, despite the population of Klickitat County increasing exponentially.
I am asking you, the citizens, to contact the Board of County Commissioners and tell them to return the $382,020 to the Sheriff’s budget. Remember, the County Commissioners work for you. If you want less services and unsafe working conditions for your Deputies to continue then all you have to do is nothing.
Please call or email the Board of County Commissioners at: [email protected] 509-773-4612 and tell them that you support the Sheriff and want the $383,020 returned to his budget immediately.
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