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Sheriff outlines court‑security screening plan, procurement and staffing needs
Summary
The Portage County sheriff described plans to issue an RFP in January for court‑security screening tied to a building remodel, said equipment and policies for single‑point access are being developed, and warned the change will require additional staffing and several committee approvals.
The Portage County sheriff told the Public Safety Emergency Management Committee that staff are preparing an RFP to determine whether to use private security or armed deputies for new court‑security screening tied to a building remodel.
The sheriff said the RFP is expected to be issued in January with responses due in February, and that procurement staff are working with the architect (BWBR) to locate screening equipment and design workflows for a single‑point access vestibule. "We are working diligently in regards to that to get some answers and costs for you," the sheriff said, describing efforts to match equipment, policy and staffing.
Committee members discussed hours of operation and the practical effect of single‑point access. The sheriff said the county is considering public hours (for example 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) while staff hours could run longer, and added that single‑point access will create staffing needs: "We're talking about when we would fund and bring ask you for the additional deputy position because with the single point access ... we have to have that 1 additional deputy," he said.
Space and properties staff and the sheriff described a phased approach: a vestibule remodel (phase 1) followed by relocation or further reconfiguration if the sheriff's office moves to a temporary Church Street location (phase 2). The sheriff said most screening equipment (X‑ray conveyor and a magnetometer) is portable and can be moved if required, but the ordinance language and facility hardware will need updates to reflect new entrances and single‑point access.
The sheriff also said the office plans to rejoin the drug treatment court on Jan. 1 after changes to memoranda of understanding and related policies, and he encouraged public attendance at a Jan. 13 listening session in Plover to explain project details.
The committee did not take a formal vote on procurement at the meeting; the sheriff said several committees will need to review and approve resolutions and funding requests before work begins.
