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Reno County sheriff gives annual update: staffing, jail population, grants and new training range use
Summary
The Reno County Sheriff’s Office summarized staffing and jail figures, equipment and grant-funded upgrades, the new training range’s use since July 2024, and ongoing hiring and vehicle‑rotation challenges.
The Reno County Sheriff delivered the department’s annual report to the Reno County Commission, citing staffing levels, jail population figures, grant‑funded equipment purchases, expanded training at a new range and concerns about aging patrol vehicles.
The nut graf: The sheriff’s presentation covered the correctional facility population and programs, detective and special units’ workload, recent grants that paid for medical and security equipment, training‑facility activity since July 2024 and vehicle‑replacement challenges that the office says have stretched patrol vehicles beyond recommended rotation periods.
The sheriff (speaking to the commission) summarized staffing and jail metrics: the Reno County Correctional Facility is a 250‑bed facility; on the morning of the meeting it held about 205 people. From April 2024 through March 2025 the facility booked 1,953 people. He said the daily jail population has ranged from a low of 157 to a high of 214 during the reporting period.
On staffing, the sheriff said the office is staffed at 101 personnel total, including 85 full‑time deputies, 12 civilian support staff and four part‑time offender‑registration personnel. He outlined hiring steps and said 17 recently hired deputies remain employed and that the agency maintains a waiting list of applicants who have completed processing.
The sheriff described equipment and grant investments: six vital‑monitoring devices for cells (purchased with a grant), a new commercial dishwasher and washer/dryer (KDHE grants), a full‑body scanner purchased with a grant from Senator Moran’s office in late 2024, and a $225,000 grant to upgrade mobile radios to meet federal encryption requirements. "This machine has already deterred contraband from entering our facility," the sheriff said of the full‑body scanner.
He also described training and the new range: the range project began in 2021, the shooting platform came into use in July 2024 and the training building groundbreaking is scheduled for June 2025. Since July 2024, the office has run seven week‑long basic firearms training courses, 12 range dates, two SWAT trainings and hosted outside‑agency classes; he said the agency is transitioning to handgun‑mounted red‑dot sights and that qualifications scores rose to an average of about 92 percent after the change.
On patrol logistics and equipment, the sheriff said vehicle rotation has lengthened well beyond the previously intended period, with some patrol vehicles approaching 200,000 miles. He urged attention to the rotation and noted the department purchased five patrol SUVs late in 2024 but still has two units to upfit and one planned replacement in the current budget.
He summarized unit activity: detectives assigned 96 follow‑up cases over the year with 25 cases submitted for prosecution, 31 search warrants obtained, and about $45,000 in property recovered. The criminal addiction unit served 13 search warrants and made arrests tied to narcotics investigations, seizing approximately $61,085 in property from drug operations.
Ending: The sheriff closed by inviting questions and noting National Police Week events; commissioners asked follow‑ups about vehicle‑rotation budgeting and shooting‑range distances.
