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Sagadahoc sheriff reports staffing gains, calls drop and rising costs for electronic monitoring
Summary
Sheriff Joel Merry told Commissioners that December calls for service fell about 7% from 2023, new hires are in training, but the County is absorbing electronic‑monitoring costs previously charged to defendants, costing roughly $1,100–$1,500 a month.
Sheriff Joel Merry told the Commissioners on Jan. 14 that the department has two new recruits in training and expects one to graduate from the academy on May 23 and become field‑ready by summer.
Merry reported December saw just under 6,000 calls for service, a roughly 7% decline from the same month in 2023, though he said the number of critical calls remained about the same. "We had just under 6,000 calls for service – a 7% drop from December 2023 – but the critical calls were just about the same," Merry said.
Merry said the County has been absorbing the cost of court‑ordered electronic monitoring because judges are no longer routinely requiring defendants to contribute to monitoring fees. He estimated the County’s monthly expense for monitoring at about $1,100–$1,500 and noted the device cost to defendants is typically about $7–$8 per day. "In the past, the court would often ask the defendant to pay something toward the cost of the device… now it’s just something we are expected to cover the cost of," Merry said.
Merry also reported that Two Bridges Regional Jail currently holds 174 inmates, with Sagadahoc County responsible for 24 of those beds. He noted a meeting with SMRT to discuss a district collaborative feasibility study was scheduled for the coming Friday.
The sheriff described differences among towns: Richmond has historically generated a large share of county calls, though new local hires appear to be reducing that burden; Merry said he plans to meet Richmond's chief to review coverage plans.
No formal action was taken on the staffing or monitoring issues at the meeting, though Commissioners asked Merry to continue discussions with the court and local chiefs about cost sharing and staffing plans.
