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Sheriff: February activity report presented; $7,500 mental‑health grant awarded for staff checkups
Summary
The Richland County sheriff gave monthly activity numbers and told the Public Safety Committee the department received a $7,500 one‑time grant from Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance to fund mental‑health checkups for jail, dispatch and road deputies.
Sheriff's staff presented the department's February activity report to the Richland County Public Safety Standing Committee and announced the sheriff's office had been awarded a $7,500 grant from Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance to start a staff mental‑health program.
In the February report the sheriff's office reported $71,603.82 in monthly vouchers (as shown in the packet), an average daily inmate population of 24, 307 monthly complaints, traffic citations issued in the month (13), 19 civil process papers served, seven transports and four people on electronic monitoring. Dispatch activity listed calls for service (reported as 564 total calls) and calls routed to police and fire as included in the packet. Committee members and staff noted that the Richland Center Fire Department call numbers appear frequently in the dispatch totals; county staff clarified those are Richland Center figures, not countywide fire totals.
On the mental‑health grant, the sheriff told the committee the $7,500 one‑time award will fund mandatory annual mental‑health checkups for staff, with an optional second appointment for employees who want it. The sheriff said the program will cover jail, dispatch and road personnel and that some sessions begin the week of the meeting. The sheriff also said the department has three trained peer‑support personnel and continues to use critical‑incident debriefings and outside resources after major incidents.
Committee members asked about continuity after the one‑time grant ends; the sheriff replied the department has ideas for sustaining the program but has not finalized funding. The sheriff also said hiring interviews are under way for vacant positions and the new hiring process has improved scheduling and committee timing.
The committee did not take any formal vote tied specifically to the grant; the sheriff described it as an awarded one‑time grant and discussed next steps for staff scheduling and program planning.
