County approves sheriff’s commissary-funded ServSafe training and drone purchases

The sheriff asked the Decatur County commissioners to approve two commissary-funded purchases: ServSafe certification for inmate kitchen workers and a package of two law-enforcement drones with associated software and support.

The ServSafe program is a one-day class (the local health department will provide the training for free) and requires books and testing fees. The sheriff said costs for books are $59 each and tests $38 each; he did not know the final headcount but estimated the books expense would not exceed $500. The sheriff said certification would help inmates obtain food-service jobs upon release and would also benefit kitchen operations in the jail.

The sheriff described a drone package including two units (one small, one larger) plus software and accessories, and provided a total price in the meeting of about $15,235.99. He said drones have been useful for missing-person searches, crash scene overhead views and tactical uses that improve officer safety.

Commissioners asked about the commissary balance; the sheriff said the account held $85,616 as of that morning and that his ideal balance would be about $100,000. After brief discussion and confirmation that the purchases fit within Indiana commissary law as presented, a motion to approve the purchases was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.

The sheriff said he expects modest additional spending for ServSafe materials and that drone delivery and setup timelines were not precisely specified in the meeting. Commissioners directed that the purchases proceed and that financial records be maintained in accord with commissary accounting.