Douglas County sheriff outlines staffing, jail capacity and new Clinton Lake boat patrol

Sheriff Jay Armbruster told the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners on March 5 that the sheriff's office is nearly fully staffed after recent pay raises, but continues to manage pressures from jail population, fleet costs and expanded responsibilities including a new boat patrol at Clinton Lake.

Armbruster said the department is budgeted for 29 patrol positions and currently operates with about 22. He warned that staffing flows from the jail into patrol and promotions take time. "We are a unique agency where we are like a tube of toothpaste where we fill at the bottom and squeeze it up to the top," Armbruster said.

Armbruster emphasized rising vehicle costs for department fleet replacements: vehicles that cost about $31,000 in 2019 are now selling for roughly $48,000, and Ford F-150s run about $55,000. He said the department is tracking electric vehicles but did not announce a switch.

The sheriff reviewed the office's major divisions and workload figures. Armbruster said the warrant division handled about 2,000 warrants issued last year and the department served roughly 1,700 warrants, while the civil-process team served nearly 8,000 documents in 2024. Court security now operates nine courtrooms, and the sheriff said the county plans to expand to as many as 12 when the neighboring building addition is completed. He reported roughly 64,000 individual walk-throughs at the courthouse security checkpoint in calendar year 2024.

On jail operations, Armbruster said the average daily population in 2024 was about 152 in a facility with 186 beds, but that 77 of those beds are not behind a locked door, limiting usable capacity. "Our functional full is right around 135 in my opinion," he said, noting that safe housing depends on the types and acuity of the inmates.

Armbruster described programming in the corrections division, including an in-house kitchen that provides work opportunities for incarcerated people: those who work eight hours receive one day off their sentence or can earn money toward fines. He said the jail recorded 3,400 bookings in the year but clarified bookings are not unique individuals.

The sheriff described specialty units: a five-person investigative team, a coroner-scene unit the department assumed responsibility for in 2021 after Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical stopped providing that service, and a multi-agency dive team for underwater search and recovery. He stressed the coroner-scene function is separate from criminal investigations and is statutorily required.

Armbruster discussed a new seasonal presence at Clinton Lake, saying the department purchased a boat last year and certified several deputies and officers to operate it. "We are not out there to enforce so much as be a presence," he said, describing the patrol as a presence for safety and assistance during busy weekends and events at the marina.

On mental-health services inside the jail, Armbruster praised a contracted mental-health team embedded in the facility and described the reentry unit's work helping people obtain IDs, housing and job connections before release. He called the embedded mental-health unit one of the best changes in his 27 years with the office.

The presentation concluded with commissioners asking clarifying questions about staffing, fleet and the boat patrol. No formal actions or votes occur during work sessions, and the sheriff's presentation was provided for informational purposes only.