Overcrowding, mental health issues and staff retention are some of the issues facing the Burnett County Jail. Here are my plans and ideas to address some of these problems.
Burnett County is lucky to have many dedicated and qualified people who work in our jail and dispatch center. Their job is very difficult and they are not often recognized for the hard work they do. They are currently working 12 hour shifts. This means they are either dealing with inmates who do not want to be in jail, or they are assisting people in crisis when they call, for 12 straight hours. Both of these duties are mentally taxing. Many of our inmates have mental illnesses and the level of violence committed by offenders has increased.
Our dispatchers are frequently the lifeline to the public and to officers. This can be an extremely difficult job. They must often sort out information from people who are extremely scared, angry or intoxicated. They are tasked with sending officers, ambulances, fire departments and other resources when needed. They often have multiple phone lines ringing and are trying to answer officers on the radio. I hope to help make their job easier by streamlining some of the dispatch protocols. We will be getting a new computer aided dispatch system in the near future. That system will put more information at their fingertips making it more accessible during emergencies.
Due to staff shortages, jail officers and dispatchers have not been able to take their earned paid time off. This has caused them to seek other employment. I am already exploring different schedule options including an 8 and 10 hour schedule. This would make it easier to cover shifts so they are able to take their earned vacation time.
I plan on reinstating the Huber/Community Service Program in the jail. This will allow inmates who are employed to maintain their jobs while incarcerated. This will let them be productive citizens when they are released. I am an advocate of the Community Service Program. This teaches inmates how to give back to society and also broadens their network of positive people.
I have approached retired teachers who have volunteered to come to the jail and tutor the inmates so they can pursue their GED or HSED. I have spoken with others who would be willing to come to the jail and and teach parenting classes and budgeting classes. These programs would be at no cost to the taxpayers. My hope is that taking up some of the inmates’ empty time while they’re in jail, with positive information, will pay off for the inmates and society.
I have often been asked for my thoughts on a new jail. There is no question that we have more inmates than our jail can hold. Our jail can hold 25 inmates. We are averaging 25 inmates per day housed in other county jails for us. The cost is $45.00 per inmate per day for out of county housing.
I have been told that Burnett County has available funding and could build a new jail outside of the levy limits. Staffing the jail would be the problem. With our current staffing levels we could hold 40 more inmates in our jail. The problem is there is no way to build onto our current jail, because it is on the third floor of the Government Center. If we do build a new jail, I would propose that we build it bigger than what we need at this time. We could have extra space that would not need to be staffed right away. At that time we could research what the market is for holding out of county inmates, state inmates or federal inmates. We could potentially make revenue while staffing the additional jail space.
As Sheriff I will look toward the future. Planning and forward thinking is essential to Burnett County’s next generations.
Vote Finch for Sheriff on November 6, 2018.
Paid for by Tracy Finch for Sheriff
ABOUT THE CANDIDATE
Tracy Finch
Tracy has 29 years experience with the Burnett County Sheriff's Department. Tracy started with the department in 1989 as a jailer/dispatcher. She then worked as a patrol officer. She is currently a detective and has been for 18 years. Tracy is the lead detective and has investigated every type of crime. She has won numerous awards and has specialized training in all aspects of Law Enforcement. Tracy has lived and worked in Burnett County her entire life. She is dedicated to making Burnett County safe. If you would like learn more about Tracy, please visit her official Facebook page.
Last Update: Nov 07, 2018 7:49 am CST
