Commentary by Samuel Strait – March 27, 2023

Things could be worse for the Del Norte County’s Sheriff, as we have
recently learned the Fresno County sheriff is dealing with the fall out
of having a local resident of Fresno, California being arrested and
booked for the tenth time in the last thirty one days.  Talk about a
frequent flyer.  Unfortunately our local sheriff is dealing with
problems of his own, a County Jail in desperate need of a make over, and
a inmate population nearing maximum capacity for the current facility. 
Much of this phenomena has to do with the lifting of the pandemic policy
mandate which severely limited the jail’s capacity.  Recently, with
restrictions lifted, the facility’s capacity of 115 inmates is being
pressed to its limit at over 80% full.

Of course, as usual, much of the difficulty’s that the sheriff faces has
to do with policies coming out of the State’s liberal government and
governor.  Soft on crime, early releases, and incarcerations pushed from
State institutions being shuttered, to cause much of the necessary
burden of incarceration left to local County jails.  Such as it is,
Sheriff Scott’s main focus has been on major felony inmates, and those
commitments that are a safety concern for the community.  We seem to be
extremely fortunate that we have a sheriff in office whose ultimate
concern is to our County.

Clearly, the County Board of Supervisors do not share that commitment as
they are continually loading up on the sheriff with new
responsibilities, new ordinances to enforce, and the failure to
understand the strict limitations with which the sheriff has to operate
his department.  Short staffed in most areas, including corrections, has
left him scrambling to run his department effectively.  Corrections,
currently operating at much less than full staff, is in the process of
adding nine new employees to fill some of the short fall.  Due to the
difficulties surrounding public attitudes about policing in general, the
sheriff should be commended for taking the steps he did to increase his
staff.

Sheriff Scott has also begun re instating some of the programs that
lapsed during the pandemic, drug counseling and the like. While things
at the sheriff’s station will not change over night from the situation
handed to the sheriff when he took office, it appears progress has been
made.  With the rehabilitation funding for the County’s jail secured to
the tune of $3 million, future upgrades to the facility will certainly
come with a brighter future going forward.  Let’s hope Sheriff Scott can
continue to develop his plan for better service to this County as soon
as possible.  The sheriff’s department has had a history of failed
expectations for many decades, with only a few bright spots along the
way.  Money for the jail, new hires at all parts of the sheriff’s
department, new equipment, time for the sheriff to settle in for the
long term and continue with his progress.