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Sheriff warns of jail plumbing and medical-examiner staffing strains as caseloads rise
Summary
Sheriff Leon Wilmot told the Board the county's sheriff's building (1986) is experiencing failing cast iron plumbing in the jail and administrative areas; sheriff also said the county medical examiner operation is understaffed relative to caseload, asking for additional positions or temporary funding from the general fund to fill gaps.
Sheriff Leon Wilmot told the Board of Supervisors on May 6 that Yuma County's sheriff's building, constructed in 1986, is experiencing failing cast-iron plumbing that is disrupting showers and basement facilities and needs repair work.
Wilmot also raised manpower concerns for the county's medical examiner function. He said Yuma County currently has one supervisor and four investigators assigned to medical examiner work while officers are handling “over 380 cases right now.” He compared local staffing ratios to other Arizona counties, saying counties with larger populations have more investigators per case. Wilmot said his office is seeing averages “anywhere from 85 deaths per month to over a 40 deaths per month,” and that current staffing levels are above state norms.
Wilmot said county-level action is needed because the medical examiner function is a county responsibility and that financing temporary or part-time help may require a general-fund allocation rather than coming out of the sheriff's budget. The chair and other supervisors instructed administration to work with the sheriff and the Office of Management and Budget to identify options, including temporary part-time positions or midyear adjustments if necessary.
No formal appropriation or hiring action was taken at the meeting. Supervisors asked staff to continue working with the sheriff and to report back on midyear options.
