Matrix study recommends roughly three dozen new positions for St. Louis County sheriff’s office, prioritizes patrol and jail staffing

A Matrix Consulting Group staffing study presented to the St. Louis County Board on June 10 recommended adding roughly 33–35 positions across the sheriff’s office, with the largest needs concentrated in patrol and the county jail.

The report’s nut graf: Matrix told the board its analysis combined call-for-service data, ride-alongs, manager interviews and an anonymous employee survey to measure reactive workload, proactive time and detention risks. The consultants proposed targeted increases and organizational changes rather than a single uniform lift in headcount.

Matrix founder Richard Brady and project leads John Scruggs and Greg Stewart described a multi-part recommendation. For patrol, Matrix recommended creating a new swing shift and adding six deputy positions focused on the Duluth division to raise usable proactive time during evening hours (when proactive time dipped as low as about 12 percent). The consultants also recommended a two-deputy recreation unit and adjustments to first-line supervision depending on whether patrol remains decentralized or is centralized.

On detention, Matrix identified staffing and risk-management gaps at the main jail and at the Hibbing and Virginia holding facilities. Its findings included: a permanent booking post and a night-shift rover at the main jail (seven positions recommended for the main jail), and two-person minimum staffing for the Hibbing and Virginia facilities (the consultants quantified that as eight positions to provide that coverage). Matrix and sheriff’s office leaders characterized these recommendations as addressing both workload and safety/risk concerns.

Matrix also proposed investigative and technical changes: one additional detective for an organized‑crime task force, an additional property-and-evidence technician in the range division, and one additional civilian digital‑forensics specialist. For dispatch, Matrix recommended replacing a vacant communications supervisor position with a communications center manager and reclassifying certain lead roles to narrow spans of control. In records and administration, Matrix recommended an information specialist in Duluth, creation of a records manager position above two information‑specialist supervisors, and a full‑time training sergeant plus an information specialist to support training, wellness and retention.

Sheriff Ramsey introduced the Matrix team and said the sheriff’s office has filled many vacancies in the past two years but asked the board to consider the study’s data-driven proposals as a multi‑year budget discussion. Commissioners pressed for follow-up materials: Commissioner Nelson asked Matrix for a table showing the last 20 studies the firm has completed and the headcount recommendations in those reports; several commissioners asked that the sheriff and administration return with prioritization, cost estimates, and which recommended positions could be phased in or reallocated from existing budgets.

Commissioners also raised system‑wide concerns that Matrix did not address: several members said court processing and prosecution timelines affect whether added patrol and detention capacity will reduce recidivism. Commissioner Nelson asked the sheriff and administration for data about how many people brought to county jails are from other agencies and how many of those arrestees are formally charged and prosecuted, noting historical changes in how municipalities were charged for pre‑adjudicated detainees.

The board did not vote on funding in the meeting. Commissioners said they expected the Matrix recommendations and implementation options to be part of upcoming budget workshops and public safety budget discussions. Sheriff Ramsey and Matrix agreed to provide the full report and additional tables requested by commissioners, and staff committed to follow‑up briefings to help prioritize the recommendations.

Ending: The Matrix presentation framed the staffing changes as operational and phased opportunities rather than an immediate headcount mandate. Board members asked for additional documentation on priorities, costs and local prosecution/jail flows before making budgetary commitments.