Lake County sheriff outlines staffing plan, accreditation push and co-responder challenges

Sheriff Heath Spakano told the Lake County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 11 that his office is pursuing a multi-year plan to raise minimum staffing, improve retention and pursue national accreditation while continuing outreach and public-safety programs.

“The first one we’ve identified is retention and trying to keep staff members,” Spakano said, describing internal promotion pathways that start civilian hires in court security or dispatch and move them into detention, the POST academy and patrol. “We’re able to hire people right out of high school…so now she’s applying to go to the POST academy and will turn 21 during that academy.”

The sheriff framed staffing as the primary budget driver: the office has 30 staff members as of the latest count, six current vacancies, about four or five applicants “in the pipeline” and a request to add roughly five more positions next year—mainly for patrol. Spakano said the department has been working with county finance staff on a five-year staffing-and-budget plan and called 2026 a key milestone for reaching the target…