PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) - Sarpy County officials are planning to switch control of the jail from the sheriff’s office to a civilian corrections staff and director.
Past talks about the transition have been revived now that county officials are weighing costly jail expansion options. Deputies currently manage the 148-bed Papillion facility, the Omaha World-Herald (https://bit.ly/2ndnbqe ) reported.
The jail has frequently exceeded capacity since the 1990s. The county has previously paid other jails to house its inmates, but has struggled recently to find space nearby.
Options include doing nothing, expanding the current jail or building a new one.
County Deputy Administrator Scott Bovick said all options require increased staffing, so the transition should begin now. He proposed an initial plan to have corrections officers replace deputies on shifts over the course of four years. He said the plan will keep experienced employees in the jail while bringing on corrections officers to slowly fill up the ranks.
The County Board told Bovick last week that he should keep working on the transition but took no formal action on his plan.
Matt Barrall, president of the sheriff’s Fraternal Order of Police, said most people interested in law enforcement careers want to work on the street rather than in jail. He said the sheriff’s office has missed out on qualified deputy candidates in the past five years because those candidates were working in jail while the office hired street patrol from outside agencies.
“It’s night and day,” Barrall said of jobs in the jail versus jobs on the street. “Working in corrections is very difficult. It’s heavily scrutinized. And you’re always dealing with a population of offenders. When you’re working patrol, you have more an interaction with law-abiding citizens.”
Board member Brian Zuger said the staff change would save the county money without negatively impacting public safety.
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Information from: Omaha World-Herald, https://www.omaha.com
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