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Sheriff reports higher jail population, quarterly metrics and upcoming contract decisions
Summary
Sheriff's office reported a two-week average jail population of 91, described staffing and zone patrol changes, and alerted commissioners to upcoming contract and medical-procurement decisions and an operational jail study.
Sheriff Nate Beckman reported to the Geary County Commission that the average jail population over the past two weeks was 91 and provided a biweekly incidents summary and a first-quarter 2025 report for the county.
Beckman said prisoner transports numbered eight, there were seven accidents and 214 traffic stops over the two-week period; citations issued numbered 75 and the department made 30 arrests in that period. He said the quarterly report will be posted to the sheriff's Facebook page for public review and invited follow-up questions.
Beckman described operational changes aimed at increasing rural presence: deputies are assigned to patrol zones and are now mandated to spend four hours of a 12-hour shift patrolling rural county areas when not responding to calls. He said the policy is intended to increase visibility and service to farmers and other rural residents.
Beckman also told commissioners the county has three openings for deputy positions and three openings for correctional officers; he said he expects to fill the positions within the next month. He told the commission he will bring three proposals for medical services and the jail contracts to the commission for review, plus a resolution on the daily charge rate. He said he plans to present pros and cons for several medical proposals and the jail contract options at the next meeting.
Beckman said an operational study of the jail is underway; interviews for that study will start the following week and the consultant team will meet with county staff to gather information.
Why it matters: jail population levels, staffing and contract decisions affect public safety, budgets and county liability. The sheriff signaled the county will face several contract decisions in coming weeks and an operational study that could recommend changes.
What happens next: the sheriff will deliver a recommendation on jail medical proposals and jail contracts at an upcoming meeting and expects the operational study interviews to inform future policy choices.
