Linn County sheriff says U.S. Marshals housing ramping up, hybrid patrol batteries prompting fleet change; state immigration bill raises manpower concerns

Sheriff Gardner told the Linn County Board of Supervisors on March 4 that the county is now housing U.S. Marshals Service inmates and that the arrangement is proceeding without operational problems so far.

"As you folks know, we are now housing US marshal inmates, back at our, at our jail. That process is going smoothly," Sheriff Gardner said. The housing agreement reserves space for up to 70 U.S. Marshals inmates; Gardner said the jail housed about 20 at the time of the meeting and he expected the number to climb to roughly 50 by the end of next month.

The sheriff also said the jail holds a small number of inmates with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers. "We do have a couple people on holds for ICE... but, just a few, I think less than 5," he said.

Gardner described recent hiring activity: six candidates reached the department's top list after testing, and three received job offers — including one internal candidate now enrolled in the law enforcement academy. He said the department expects to test again for deputies in May and is coordinating with a local college on the process.

A separate topic Gardner raised was vehicle maintenance. The department purchased hybrid patrol vehicles beginning three years ago; he said the large under‑vehicle battery packs are warrantied to 100,000 miles but are failing as cars reach that mileage. "It's about a $4,000 repair for a vehicle that has a a hundred thousand miles on it," Gardner said. He described the replacement process as complex and said the sheriff's office will move away from hybrids toward conventional gas‑powered patrol cars.

On state legislation, the sheriff discussed what the transcript identified as House Study Bill 187, which would change state expectations about local law enforcement assisting federal immigration enforcement. Gardner said his office and statewide groups — the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association and the Iowa Police Chiefs Association — are monitoring the proposal. He emphasized manpower limits: "I don't have any extra deputies quite honestly... I don't have the people or the manpower to do it," he said, adding that without additional staffing or funding the office could not reassign deputies to new immigration‑enforcement duties.

Gardner also said ICE has historically had access to the jail's in‑custody list and that because the jail is housing inmates for other jurisdictions and the Marshals Service, space is limited and the county is unlikely to accept large numbers of ICE inmates.

Board members commended the sheriff for the office's responsiveness and communication during the transition and hiring work.

No formal action or vote was recorded on the items discussed; they were presented as informational updates.