Douglas County corrections director reports lower spending, high staffing and programs that cut jail bed days

Michael Myers, director of corrections for Douglas County, reported to the Board of Corrections on Nov. 18 that the department is under budget but faces upcoming project expenditures, while staffing and program activity continue to shift custodial demand.

"Following the fourth month of the fiscal year, we are $1,826,579 under budget," Myers told commissioners while reviewing the October board report. He said $335,209 was spent on overtime in October (a roughly $30,000 drop from the previous month) and that the records division processed $730,000 in bond payments. Five officers left employment in October from a mix of academy classes and retirements; 13 cadets were expected to graduate in late November.

Myers said the department was at about 101% staffing across correctional officer ranks, which he attributed in part to cadets currently in the academy that temporarily push the on-hand count above authorized staffing levels. He summarized programs that reduced jail usage: community corrections and reentry placements put 16 individuals into community corrections (saving 85 jail bed days), work release admitted 30, house arrest 50, wrap 25, and therapeutic community housing admitted 64 individuals. "Pretrial release saved Douglas County $632,740 in detention costs in October," he said, noting an Oct. 14 launch of new Pretrial Services software and that some reporting functions were still being validated.

On population measures, Myers listed 1,285 admissions for the month, 1,288 releases, an average population near 1,109 and an average length of stay of 29 days for released inmates. He said 52.9% of inmates stayed longer than 72 hours (average 53 days) while 41.7% were released within 72 hours (average 1.4 days). The U.S. Marshal average daily population was 57, and the average daily felony pretrial population was 763. Myers also reported demographic and health statistics: 66% of the population were minorities, 15% female and 18% homeless or nearly homeless; medical and mental-health activity included intake screenings, emergent transports, psychiatric assessments and placements on suicide precautions.

Myers described security operations in October, including three crisis negotiation deployments (two with CERT), six CERT deployments overall, several searches and recovered contraband that tested positive for K2; he said two incidents required physical force but no injuries were reported. He reported three staff assault injuries and ongoing staff development efforts — 139 applications for corrections officer interviews, 30 interviews, and ongoing tactical and self-defense training. The department ran a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training class in October with 18 staff attendees and plans quarterly CIT classes going forward. Myers also previewed the Lasting Legacy Award ceremony recognizing long-serving DCDC employees.

During Q&A, Commissioner Cavanaugh asked about the staffing percentages and graphing of overtime; Myers explained how database resets and academy hires affect monthly staffing percentages and said he would verify specific breakdowns of short-stay cohorts when requested. An attendee identified as Paulgerson asked for a breakdown of the 37 off-site specialty medical appointments; Myers offered to provide details later.

The board did not take additional formal votes on these report items; Myers said the department faces future audits (PREA in December; NCCHC and American Correctional Association audits in 2026) that will require continued reporting and verification.