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Sheriff outlines budget priorities: jail control board nearing end of life, digital tools and Axon requested
Summary
Sheriff Dan Coverley presented the sheriff's office tentative budget, describing staffing, a rise in investigative workload, and several supplemental requests that include replacing the jail control board, upgrading Axon body-camera and AI reporting services, and modernizing citation devices.
Sheriff Dan Coverley presented the Douglas County Sheriff's Office budget as part of the county's FY2025–26 tentative hearings, flagging technology, jail infrastructure and personnel as the main supplemental priorities.
Coverley said the sheriff's office operates four divisions — administration, records, investigations and patrol — and described an increase in investigative workload tied to digital forensics. "Every case that we do involves some sort of digital forensics," he said, adding that investigators now routinely process evidence from phones and computers.
Coverley highlighted the jail's control board — a touchscreen system used to open and close doors — as an urgent capital concern. The present control board dates to a 2007 remodel, he said, and the vendor is out of business. "That control board is on its last leg. We're limping it along," Coverley said. Replacing the system would be expensive and, while deputies could operate doors manually if it fails, the sheriff cautioned a replacement will be necessary in the near term.
On technology, the sheriff described a range of supplemental requests. The department would like to move from current specialized iPAC citation devices to a phone-based app with higher-quality photo capture and integration with roadside printers. Coverley also proposed expanded use of Axon services for body-worn cameras, AI-assisted report drafting and in-field translation. He said Axon tools could reduce report-writing time and improve language access. "The AI reporting part, I think, is really good," he said.
Coverley identified other line-item adjustments and small cuts within the department he said would save roughly $20,000. He told commissioners that several significant staffing items in the tentative budget are grant-funded positions already approved by the board.
County Manager Jennifer Davidson and COO Kathy Lewis said they and the sheriff's office are discussing one-time funding options for high-cost capital items such as the jail control board, and that staff would return to the commission with specific proposals if feasible.
