The sheriff told the board on Jan. 12 that a recent multi-agency investigation involving the BCI, FBI and state agencies resulted in six arrests tied to online predators targeting children.

"There were six arrests made out of this," the sheriff said, describing the operation and noting continuing follow-up work by investigators.

The sheriff also reviewed law-division budget figures and said payroll will be tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars short of requested amounts if current funding levels hold. He said the department requested two road patrol officers, two communications (dispatch) officers and two corrections officers in the budget cycle but was not funded for those positions. The sheriff presented arithmetic showing a remaining shortfall on payroll in the law division in the range of several hundred thousand dollars, depending on which positions and benefits are included.

A lengthy discussion followed on 9-1-1 dispatch staffing. The communications supervisor said dispatch currently assigns two personnel per shift under an 8-hour model and recommended hiring two additional dispatchers and moving to a 12-hour schedule to create a relief factor and avoid forced overtime. "We're burning our dispatchers out," the communications supervisor said, describing frequent forced overtime, comp time accumulation and coverage gaps that leave the center vulnerable during busy periods.

Why it matters: Arrests in the predator operation are a major public-safety development; longer-term policing capacity and 9-1-1 reliability depend on filling vacancies, securing recurring funding and potentially restructuring dispatch schedules.

What happens next: Commissioners said they heard the sheriff's budget case and recommended follow-up staff work, monthly monitoring sessions and a possible reallocation of funds if priorities shift during the fiscal year. The sheriff and county staff will coordinate on a monthly oversight check-in and explore whether 9-1-1 funding streams can be applied to dispatcher salaries.

(Quotes attributed to the sheriff and the communications supervisor are taken from meeting remarks recorded in the Jan. 12 transcript.)