Sheriff announces $10,000 Byrne grant for ventilated drug-processing hood; moves $26,000 and $3,000 within jail budget

The Sheriff told the county safety committee that the department received a $10,000 Edward Byrne memorial assistance grant to buy a ventilated hood used when officers process or examine suspected narcotics. The sheriff said deputies had required naloxone medical treatment three times in the past six weeks after suspected fentanyl exposure, and the hood’s ventilation is meant to reduce that risk. Separately, the sheriff asked the committee to transfer $26,000 that the county received from the state for housing state-ready inmates into the jail’s kitchen overtime line. The committee approved the transfer by voice vote. The sheriff also requested moving $3,000 from a grant line to purchase the PowerDMS scheduling program for patrol and staff shift scheduling; that transfer was approved and will go through finance. The sheriff described the software as useful to manage multiple shifts and vacation planning and said sergeants currently spend substantial time preparing schedules. Discussion: Committee members asked whether PowerDMS includes automated call or alert features and how many shifts the software must manage; the sheriff answered that the office had several shifts (examples cited: 7 a.m.–5 p.m., 2 p.m.–midnight, 5 p.m.–3 a.m., 9 p.m.–7 a.m.) and that staff familiar with PowerDMS recommended it. No vote limits or contract language were cited in committee discussion. The actions were procedural budget moves; no new ongoing program or hiring was approved at the meeting.