Chase County jail may house county prisoners
Staff reporter
Low prisoner numbers may result in Marion County prisoners being sent to Chase County jail. The change may reduce costs to the county sheriff's budget.
Marion County Sheriff Lee Becker submitted a proposed 2005 budget for the sheriff's department Monday requesting an increase of $120,000 from 2004.
However, the increase was contingent on the county approving a yet-to-be-proposed Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) program which would require four additional jailers and two additional dispatch personnel.
After much discussion, the decision was made for Becker to contact the Chase County jail facility to obtain cost estimates to house Marion County prisoners at that facility.
Becker also will calculate county costs to transport the prisoners.
The EMD program would require at least two telecommunicators (dispatch) on staff at all times in the emergency communications office.
When implemented, trained personnel could provide callers with lifesaving instructions on various types of medical emergencies such as controlling bleeding from lacerations, how to free an object from a throat, and administering CPR.
With the additional duties of dispatch personnel, they could no longer perform the hourly checks of prisoners in the evenings and on weekends which would require jailers to perform the task.
Two new or newer vehicles also were proposed in the sheriff's department budget for 2005.
"The department has vehicles with 140,000 miles on up to 175,000 miles," Becker said. Two new Ford Crown Victoria cars would cost $25,000 each, Becker said. He said he would consider a used vehicle from the Kansas Highway Patrol car fleet for half the cost.
Becker suggested the commission consider dropping all but liability insurance from the higher-mileage vehicles to save expenses.
Becker said KHP recently agreed to provide vehicle inspections instead of the sheriff's office performing the service.
"We receives $5 for each civil paper the sheriff's office receives," Becker said. A more efficient way to monitor the funds was being sought but to offset employee resources, Becker decided to use the resources for civil paper processing instead of vehicle inspections.
Personnel expense has had limited overtime, Becker reported.
"I'm at 52 percent of my budget," Becker said, which is about $12,000 over the budgeted amount. "This gives you an idea of where I'm going to be at the end of the year."
Becker said he was concerned about the department being "under funded." He suggested the vehicles be replaced later in the year.
"That way we know there are funds available and we may have a better idea of which ones to replace," Becker said.
Additional questions were asked regarding the EMD program. Becker elaborated that additional jailers also would do the booking and bonding but would not drive vehicles and perform law enforcement duties.
Becker said it would be mandated in 2005 to have 24-hour jailers with the EMD program.
Commissioner Howard Collett commented, "We might be better off in farming them (prisoners) out."
Becker said a regional jail facility makes sense.
"The department has had only one prisoner continuously for the month," Becker said. "People get arrested and then bond out." Weekend commitments sometimes fill the jail, however.
In 2003, Becker said the department averaged eight prisoners per day. In 2004, the number has dropped to five or six prisoners average per day.
"We would have to share a coordinated effort with the court system," Becker said. He added he did not think it would be difficult to do.
"We can go ahead and try it and if it doesn't work, go back to the way it was," Becker said.
If prisoners are transported to Chase County, Becker said dispatch could be moved downstairs which would make the department more efficient by eliminating duplication of paperwork.
Commission chairman asked Becker if he was comfortable in making changes in the proposed 2005 budget to reflect the transferring of prisoners to Chase County.
Becker said the EMD had a six-month trial period which would give the county some time to consider the change.
"I had no intention of hiring four people without the commission's approval," Becker said.
If prisoners are transported to Chase County, Becker noted prisoners required to serve time on the weekends would need to find their own transportation to Chase County.
The sheriff's department proposed 2005 budget, without the hiring of additional personnel was $426,000. An additional $25,000 was added for two used KHP vehicles for a total proposed budget of $451,000.
