Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sheriff Jail Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sheriff warns of ‘unfunded mandates’ as county braces for 250 new jail-compliance items and proposed firearms database
Summary
Mineral County Sheriff Steve told commissioners that four replacement patrol vehicles suffered repeated mechanical problems, the county faces 250 state-mandated jail-compliance items requiring variances, and a pending firearms-certification rule could create a state-held names database he called an "unfunded mandate."
Sheriff Steve told the Mineral County Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 15 that the sheriff’s office has experienced multiple mechanical issues with four Dodge replacement vehicles purchased earlier in the year, including a faulty valve that allowed gasoline vapors into the cab and a fuel-pressure control regulator failure that required removal and replacement of major components.
The sheriff said those operational problems affected emergency responses this summer, including towing a boat to a lake launch and transporting an impounded horse after an arrest, and asked to be involved in decisions about future vehicle replacements.
He then outlined a far larger administrative burden coming to local jails: "We have 250…jail compliance…required by the state," the sheriff said, describing a process that begins Jan. 2 and runs through June 1 and will require multiple variance requests — some temporary, some likely permanent — for items the county cannot change, including pod-size limits. "If you ever are going to build a new jail, you're going to have a lot more of an expense" because of the new standards, he said.
On firearms policy, the sheriff raised privacy and resource concerns about a state rule scheduled to take effect Aug. 1 that would require issuance of a certificate for some buyers of selected semi‑automatic firearms. "The state creates a database with those people's names in it. That to me is completely wrong," he said, calling the rule an "unfunded mandate" and saying it will create problems for "every sheriff in the state." He said he does not have the capacity or funding to implement all the steps the state requires and hopes the measure will be overturned or amended.
Commissioners asked operational questions about current jail population and DOC holds; the sheriff said the jail held 78 people that day (rising sometimes to about 85) and that six Department of Corrections holds were cycling through local custody, typically rotating about every two weeks. He noted ongoing reimbursement problems from DOC for holding prisoners.
Next steps: the sheriff asked the board to track associated costs and to include him in vehicle procurement discussions. The sheriff also warned the board that he will be filing variance requests with the state for specified jail standards and will update the board as deadlines and requirements firm up.
