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Sheriff seeks targeted hires and technology funds as Ada County jail, dispatch and patrol workloads grow
Summary
Sheriff Matthew Clifford asked the commissioners to approve several targeted position additions, pay-plan adjustments and technology investments that the department says are necessary to keep pace with growth and public-safety requirements.
Sheriff Matthew Clifford presented a FY26 budget package that includes requests for several new positions, pay‑plan updates for patrol, and multiple technology and facilities projects tied to public-safety operations across the Ada County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO).
Clifford said ACSO’s FY26 supplemental ask totaled about $3.1 million over allocation and that the office had narrowed internal requests to a small set of mission‑critical positions. Of about 26 earlier position proposals, Clifford said the agency limited its FY26 supplemental requests to six positions and absorbed two others internally. The six requested additions included two patrol deputies, a fraud and forgery detective, a forensic lab technician, an action-team deputy for high‑risk warrants, and a licensed clinical wellness coordinator for employee mental-health support.
Why it matters: Clifford said the additions are designed to preserve response capacity, move complex investigations forward, and support officer wellness and retention. He said filling patrol and dispatch pipelines takes months: deputies require a multi‑stage hiring and academy process while dispatchers need long on‑the‑job training before handling live emergency calls.
Technology, facilities and sustainment: Clifford highlighted sustained investments in fleet and facilities: improved property/evidence shelving, driver's license office expansions (Star), a planned training center nearly three times the current size, marine assets replacement, jail camera upgrades and Courthouse security projects. He also requested continued funding for a countywide data‑integration product (Peregrine) and forensic laboratory software and equipment to support DNA and digital evidence processing.
Contract pressures and revenue: Clifford said the department’s projected revenue included increases from contracts and jail housing, but noted a Federal Communications Commission rule reduced inmate telephone revenues by $468,000. The sheriff also asked for supplemental funding for rising contract costs in jail food service and courthouse security.
Next steps: Commissioners said they would review the requests during budget deliberations, balancing ACSO staffing needs with countywide demands across other departments.
