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Rulo Strategies praises Sawyer County coordination, urges evaluation and mental‑health investments
Summary
Rulo Strategies told Sawyer County's CJCC that the county’s use of data and interagency coordination is exceptional and recommended an evaluation of the jail census decline, expanded in‑jail mental‑health hours, more MAT capacity, and regional training partnerships to reduce recidivism.
Tara Kunkel, executive director of Rulo Strategies, told the Sawyer County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee on Nov. 14 that the county’s level of coordination and use of data stood out during a site visit and tour of the jail. "The level of coordination and collaboration that we have observed...is just phenomenal," Kunkel said, urging the committee to use that data to document program impacts.
Kunkel recommended the county consider funding an evaluation — potentially using opioid settlement or other federal grant funds — to quantify why the jail census has dropped since 2019 and to measure taxpayer savings and program effectiveness. "One of the things you all could consider is really investing in or requesting funding to do an evaluation to really understand what is driving that drop in census," she said.
Presenters flagged three programmatic priorities: a focused "familiar faces" analysis to identify the top 20–30 frequent jail entrants and their cross‑system touchpoints; increased in‑jail mental‑health contract hours (the transcript references a counselor, Kevin Lynch, who currently provides about eight hours weekly); and expanded medication‑assisted treatment (MAT) capacity so people can receive medication and support while in custody. Kunkel argued that greater mental‑health coverage and MAT can reduce returns to custody and improve dorm behavior and staff morale.
On training and operations, Rulo representatives urged consideration of a 40‑hour Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) curriculum — often delivered regionally to reduce the training burden on small agencies — and exploring transport models to avoid pulling deputies off patrol for long hospital or treatment transports (the presenters cited transports to Winnebago as an example). "Sometimes a lot of backfill that you have to do to make that happen," Kunkel said of the staffing lift CIT requires.
Kunkel concluded that Sawyer County’s existing coordination (monthly meetings among sheriff’s office staff, probation and parole, the hospital, and adult protective services) is a strong foundation for targeted evaluation and pilots. She offered follow‑up support and recommended the county consider grant funding — including opioid settlement money — to pay for evaluation and program expansion.
The meeting was informational because the committee lacked a quorum, so no formal action or vote accompanied the presentation. The committee may consider follow‑up items, including evaluation options and funding sources, at a future meeting when there is a quorum.
