Sheriff reports jail population, patrol statistics and training challenges; generator repaired

The sheriff reported operational updates during the Edgar County Board meeting on Sept. 1, including jail population, proactive-patrol activity, mental-health training plans and a recent generator repair.

The sheriff said the average jail population for the month was about 24. Proactive or problem-oriented patrols by two detectives were carried out on three occasions during the month; officers made 18 stops, issued 12 warnings and wrote six citations while responding to neighborhood complaints.

On training, the sheriff said mental-health and suicide-prevention instruction is offered infrequently in the region for jail settings; several staff members are signed up for the next available class next month. The sheriff indicated difficulty justifying long travel for in-person courses and discussed using mobile training units or recorded instructor materials (copied to a flash drive) to meet Department of Corrections requirements. The sheriff asked that training completion be routed through Augie or other staff so records are on file.

The county’s emergency generator failed its scheduled weekly test for two consecutive weeks; a contractor tested and repaired the unit and it tested fine the following day. During discussion a repair cost of roughly $2,700 was mentioned; the sheriff said the vendor fixed the problem and that departments would split costs when appropriate because the generator benefits multiple offices.

No formal action was taken; the items were reported as departmental updates and requests for administrative follow-up on training documentation and equipment billing.