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Sheriff presses need for training campus and warns crisis‑unit funding could lapse
Summary
Sheriff Bouchard urged investment in a modern training facility and secured storage; he said a grant‑funded crisis intervention unit will sunset Sept. 30 unless new funding is found, and outlined recruitment, retention and jail‑contract strategies.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard (Sheriff Bouchard) told the finance committee the department has identified long‑standing needs for a replacement storage building and a purpose‑built training facility to host realistic, stress‑exposed exercises. "When you're in the top 15 largest sheriff's offices in America, having dedicated and purposeful space is really important," he said, describing the risks of operating from aging facilities and the public‑safety benefits of multiagency training.
Commissioners focused on a crisis intervention unit currently funded by a grant that expires Sept. 30. The sheriff said the county policy does not allow grant positions to continue without funding; his office has applied for Department of Justice grants and is pursuing charitable donations but acknowledged there is no guaranteed county appropriation to absorb those roles. "We are seeking grants, charity, whatever we can," he said. He also described chronic recruitment and retention pressures — fewer applicants than in prior decades and competition from private employers — and said the sheriff's office is using time‑limited pilot positions to overhire for training benches and reduce forced overtime.
The sheriff described targeted investments to control recurring costs: putting long‑cycle equipment (medical and food services) out to competitive contract and sharing specialized resources with neighboring agencies to reduce duplication. He also highlighted a successful human‑trafficking unit and requested a vehicle for the newly funded investigator.
