Jail to add 8 new officers

State inspector sad staff needed for Caldwell facility to maintain state standards

Thursday, Jan. 11, 2007

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

LENOIR – The Caldwell County commissioners' decision this week to hire eight new employees at the county jail is the first step toward improving working and living conditions there, Sheriff's Office officials say.

Even though the facility meets statutory requirements, new jail administrator Chris Brackett said he wants to add detention officers and find ways to improve maintenance.

"It's a taxpayer building," he said. "You want to maintain it."

The Sheriff's Office has 20 full-time and a few part-time detention officers, whose job also includes monitoring the courts and transporting prisoners. With five officers working each shift, Brackett said, the jail is just minimally staffed, and employees are overworked.

"Right now, we're meeting all the requirements," he said. "But if somebody is sick, out for training or wants to take a vacation, that leaves us in a very tight predicament."

Between standard jail requirements, such as booking and observation, he said, the staff doesn't have time to worry about maintenance or supervise inmates doing work detail.

"We have the labor there, and the inmates are willing to work," Brackett said. "They want to get out of their cells and do laundry, scrub, clean, sweep and all that."

So, in November, Brackett brought in the state's chief jail inspector, John Harkins, for a comprehensive assessment and tips on what the 185-bed jail could do to improve conditions.

Harkins suggested hiring at least four more officers per shift, which would allow staff more flexibility and the ability to make sure the jail continues to meet state standards.

While Brackett said he isn't prepared to hire the 16 additional officers necessary to meet Harkins' recommendation, he did propose that county commissioners approve hiring eight employees at the board's Monday meeting.

The cost, Brackett said, would be about $155,000 for the rest of the 2006-2007 fiscal year and more than $250,000 for the upcoming year. He said he hopes to offset the cost with federal grants and income from housing inmates from other counties.

The board unanimously approved the motion, requesting that Brackett not only expand his staff but talk with the county's finance department to create a business plan and provide the commission quarterly updates on the jail.

"I want to make sure this thing is ongoing and we get regular reports," said Commissioner Don Barrier.

Brackett said he has already picked four new officers and is completing the background checks on four others, which would put seven employees on each shift. The additional staff, he said, is a critical step toward improving conditions at the facility.

"With this, we're more able to get the work done," he said. "It's easier and cheaper to maintain a facility than to make repairs."


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