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Sheriff outlines staffing, canine, school resource and jail infirmary plans
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Summary
The county sheriff briefed commissioners on department structure, a new canine program, school resource officer coverage, corrections staffing changes and a planned infirmary expansion to add six beds.
Williams County’s sheriff updated the Board of County Commissioners on July 15 about staffing structures, new programs and capital projects in the sheriff’s office. The sheriff summarized command structure, a growing special operations division with a canine program, school resource officer coverage, corrections reorganizations and a planned infirmary expansion in the county jail.
The sheriff said the patrol lieutenant manages the patrol division (four sergeants, four corporals and line staff) while an investigations lieutenant oversees four investigators. He described a special operations sergeant, Jamie Hushka, supervising weight enforcement and the county99s canine program. The new canine is a German shepherd that the sheriff characterized as non-aggressive "not a bite dog" and narcotics-certified; he said Deputy Jesse Cruz is the canine handler and that the dog has been trained in regional exercises with neighboring K-9 units.
On school resource officers, the sheriff said the county provides SRO coverage at Tioga, Ray, Trenton and some rural schools; coverage is shared because the county has two SROs and the schools sometimes have limited local police manpower. He named Deputy Sean Holm as a newly hired SRO and Deputy Ashley Sealander as an experienced SRO who will help train Holm.
In corrections, the sheriff said daily jail operations are overseen by Captain Moll (assistant jail administrator) and Lieutenant Carr; he noted a cultural shift and improvements in operations and cleanliness cited by state inspectors. The sheriff described a new corrections "flex team" to handle daytime appointments and court transports so other staff can maintain daily facility operations. The sheriff said the corrections division has added two support positions to handle disciplinary coordination and medical billing, and that one staff member coordinates with the drug task force on intelligence sharing.
A major correctional capital project under way is an infirmary expansion designed to add six beds for inmates with medical needs or communicable illnesses; the sheriff said the jail currently has three isolation bays and that the expansion should reduce logistical challenges involved with sight-and-sound separation of inmates. He estimated construction could start in late fall and finish in 2026.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about SRO school coverage; the sheriff said SROs do some work with Tioga and Ray despite those towns having police departments, and that the county supplements coverage for rural schools. Commissioners thanked the sheriff and staff for their work.
