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Sheriff warns of staffing and capacity strain; commissioners approve RFP for new transport van
Summary
Penobscot County’s sheriff reported staffing shortages across patrol and the jail, high pretrial populations, concerns about new Department of Corrections standards, and proposed a six-month extension of the jail medical contract while recommending an RFP for a new prisoner transport van. Commissioners approved going to bid for a transport van.
Sheriff (name not specified) told the Penobscot County Commission on Jan. 7 that the county is facing staffing shortages in both patrol and corrections and that the jail’s high pretrial population and new state standards are creating operational and budget pressures.
The sheriff said the jail had an average in-house population of 156 last year against a state-rated capacity of 157, and that daily movements make the facility busier during daytime hours. "Please don't be fooled by the average daily populations," he said, explaining the difference between midnight counts and daytime throughput. He also said boarding-out costs have risen: the per-detainee boarding fee recently moved from $85 to $100 per day.
The sheriff described continued difficulty filling patrol positions (two open rural patrol slots and three open contract-town positions at the time of his report), and said the office is expanding part-time hiring to build a pipeline of candidates for…
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