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Sheriff summarizes January workload, staffing gaps and jail overtime at Harvey County commission meeting
Summary
Sheriff Chad Gay told commissioners that January activity included dozens of cases and arrests, heavy mileage for deputies, and jail overtime. He said the office is three deputies short and described recruitment steps and timelines for certified and non‑certified hires.
Sheriff Chad Gay presented the department’s January activity report and staffing update to the Harvey County Board of Commissioners.
“January, you can see we, pulled a 86 cases, made 381 traffic stops, and issued 29 tickets arrested, 68 arrests, and 452 area checks, 90 citizen contacts, and drove 42,675 miles,” Gay said, reading monthly figures presented to the board.
Gay told commissioners the office was operating three deputies short after three recent resignations and that the department had been using overtime and temporary reassignments to cover patrol shifts. He described the hiring process underway — interviews, polygraphs and psychological evaluations — and said one certified candidate is likely to be able to enter field training quickly while non‑certified hires will require academy attendance and months of training before contributing fully.
The jail report included 216 scheduled overtime hours for the month and examples of overtime reasons such as transports and vacation coverage; Gay said the administration also covered 45 hours of shift work that would otherwise have been overtime. He reported the jail had two inmates awaiting Department of Corrections transfer and fewer federal inmates than in prior months.
Why it matters: The sheriff’s figures underline operating pressure on patrol and jail staffing, with overtime and reassignments used to maintain 24‑hour coverage. Commissioners and the sheriff discussed recruitment timelines and the trade‑offs involved in using overtime versus keeping positions vacant while candidates complete certification.
Ending: Commissioners asked clarifying questions about overtime tracking and coverage; Gay said staff would continue recruitment and field‑training for new hires.
