Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Knox County sheriff, new jail administrator outline inmate counts, K‑9 plan and evidence storage needs
Summary
Sheriff Dan Lancaster and jail administrator Jim Crawford briefed commissioners on staffing, a current population of 83 inmates, plans for more K‑9 units and the need to move evidence into a new maintenance building to free space for operations.
Sheriff Dan Lancaster and newly installed Jail Administrator Jim Crawford updated the Knox County commissioners on Aug. 28 about jail population, staffing and security plans, including an expanded K‑9 program and moving stored evidence into a contracted maintenance building.
Crawford, introduced to the board as the jail administrator, said he brings about 25 years of law‑enforcement experience and plans an "open door" policy for commissioners and residents to tour the facility by appointment. "I’m really happy to be in Knox County working back in uniform," Crawford said, noting his administrative background in budgets and contracts.
Commissioners asked for current population figures; Crawford said the jail was holding 83 inmates, with "35 of them are from Mount Vernon, 46 are from Mox County." The board discussed that the county no longer receives prior city contract payments after a change under the Ohio Revised Code, which previously had brought in several hundred thousand dollars.
Sheriff Lancaster described operational pressures related to full evidence rooms at the sheriff’s office and said moving evidence storage into the newly contracted building will free space for case processing and day‑to‑day operations. "Once the building is built and everything done inside, we can move a lot of evidence out to that building, which will free up these rooms," Lancaster said.
The sheriff also outlined plans to increase patrols during holiday and high‑school sporting weekends and described specialty details for games. Lancaster said the department aims to place three dual‑purpose K‑9 teams on patrol and one dog in the jail within about a year, funding permitting, and that upfitting a patrol car adds roughly $6,000 while a trained dual‑purpose dog typically costs $15,000 to $20,000.
When asked about recent social‑media reports of contraband and an overdose in the jail, Lancaster confirmed arrests and an overdose but cautioned that the body scanners do not always detect contraband hidden in body cavities. He said the sheriff’s office will run regular canine searches and cell inspections to reduce contraband.
On capacity, commissioners were told the facility holds up to 24 women and roughly 80 men (officially rated for 100 but occasionally reaching 106), and that per‑inmate housing rates for out‑of‑county contracts are approximately $65 per day though county costs may be higher.
The update concluded with an invitation for commissioners to schedule tours and with the sheriff and jail administrator committing to provide additional operational details and any requested cost metrics in future updates.
