More patrol deputies for JCSO
From our weekly issue dated December 09, 2009
Staffing levels at the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) soon will be at their highest levels since 2000, with increased deputy patrols, jail capacity and hours of operation for its records division.
Sheriff Gil Gilbertson informed the Josephine County Board of County Commissioners of the changes during a Tuesday, Dec. 1 administrative meeting at the courthouse in Grants Pass.
Gilbertson thanked the commissioners for approving funding for the staffing plan earlier this year. He noted that his office was able to boost the jail capacity from 105 to 140 as of Nov. 16.
“We have a lot more people that need to be taken off the street,” observed the county’s chief lawman.
He said that he plans to increase the jail capacity by 20 inmates at a time incrementally.
“It will take us several months to get up to full speed,” he said.
JCSO currently has one, 12-hour shift for patrols. But Gilbertson said that he plans to change that to two 10-hour shifts next year to allow “more flexibility.”
JCSO won’t be fully staffed until July or August, Gilbertson said, as some deputies are in the “shadow phase” of their training and three are still at the police academy in Monmouth.
Gilbertson said that he hopes to eventually have a minimum of six people on duty at any given time.
That additional staffing will enable patrol deputies to do “minor investigative work,” Gilbertson said. JCSO also will be able to dedicate two deputies to traffic enforcement.
“Just having a presence out there is deterrent to crime,” Gilbertson said.
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JCSO’s Records Division is now open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Gilbertson said that he expects it to be open until midnight seven days a week by February.
“That’s a huge step for us,” he said.
Commissioner Dave Toler, an Illinois Valley resident, characterized the staffing increase as ‘fantastic news” for citizens. He added that having only 12 hours of coverage for the county per day is “simply not adequate.”
Vice Chairman Sandi Cassanelli expressed concerns about the county’s ability to fund the staffing levels on a long-term basis.
JCSO has aggressively cut costs in many areas, Gilbertson said. He added that approximately $52,000 will be saved annually from serving cold breakfasts at the jail, and that the department spends $110 less per uniform for its personnel than it has in the past.
“We are looking at pinching pennies everywhere,” Gilbertson said.
Chairman Dwight Ellis stated that efforts are being made to continue federal safety net payments at 85 percent of their historic level. He added that the program may end up in the 2011 presidential budget.
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