MOUNT VERNON — Sheriff David Shaffer told the county commissioners on Thursday that putting the Knox County Sheriff’s Office first K-9 unit into action depends on how soon the training is completed.
“The training will take less [time] than normal,” he said. “This dog is pretty well trained, so it would be a matter of acclimatization. It depends on how soon we can get our guy to training.”
Of the four cruisers his office will buy in 2018, he is trying to get the K-9 vehicle first. His office is looking to buy an equipped Ford Explorer found on a lot in Pennsylvania.
The jail population stands at 67: 53 males and 14 females. Shaffer said that since the jail population was down over the holidays, some jail maintenance was performed. Projects included floors, painting and replacing fixtures.
Shaffer is looking into the idea of video visitation to replace dorm phones. Benefits of video visitation include extended number of visits, minor children can visit multiple times a month rather than just once and it requires less staff to process visitors in and out of the KCSO.
Shaffer touched on several other items to the commissioners:
- Dave Priest, probation officer for Mount Vernon Municipal Court, will bring individuals working off community service to clean the walls and floors of the sally port.
- Through a state grant, Mental Health and Recovery for Licking and Knox Counties will reimburse the county for some of the cost of psychotropic drugs administered to inmates.
- Riverside Recovery Services is working with the common pleas probation department to get vetted so staff can visit inmates to arrange post-release services.
- He is looking into having civilian KCSO staff help with clearing snow on the KCSO parking lot, which will help with a smoother shift change.
- At the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association meeting on Tuesday, it was noted that three out of four counties are having difficulties finding a jail doctor.
