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Sheriff outlines staffing, equipment and inmate-revenue pressures; pitches SAFER alerts and wellness program
Summary
The Kenosha County sheriff described several budget pressures — fewer federal inmates than budgeted, uncertain inmate-telecom revenue, costly equipment replacements — and promoted a new SAFER alert system and an officer wellness program as priorities.
Sheriff David Zerna told supervisors the department faces multiple budget and operational pressures that are likely to carry into the 2026 budget year, including fewer U.S. Marshals inmates than budgeted and uncertainty around inmate-phone revenue tied to pending FCC action.
Zerna described a county rollout of a SAFER (Specialized Alerts for Enhanced Response) program to give deputies and dispatch access to pre-registered information about residents with mental-health or cognitive needs. “This is such a good program because these people can put the information in the computer,” Zerna said, adding the county plans a “hard launch” with school resource officers in May for Mental Health Awareness Month.
On revenue, Zerna said the…
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