Jim Faull Prowers County Sheriff

This week, I wanted to tell you about the hardest working and least talked about group within the Sheriff’s Office, the detention staff. At our last staff meeting we decided to have an open house right after the Sand and Sage parade. We will give tours of the jail so the citizens of the county can see how some of their tax money is spent. All inmates will be locked down in their rooms away from the tour.

When I first ran for Sheriff, I like many who had never worked in a Sheriff’s Office, put most of my campaign effort into dealing with crime. I talked about crime prevention, responding to crime scenes, and the investigation that follows. I did not talk about what to do with a criminal after he has been apprehended, because like most people, I had never put much thought into the subject of detention or jails.

When we think of law enforcement, we think about the men and women who are on the street that face unknown danger on a daily basis. We hear of the fights, car and foot chases and on occasion, the serious assaults with weapons. But who takes care of these persons arrested for these crimes? The Prowers County Jail is designed for 57 inmates and we have held as many as 85. Due to the design of the jail, I have to have at least three detention staff on at any one time 24 hours a day 7 days a week. My detention staff is more than twice the size of my patrol staff, and my jail budget is three times the size of the patrol budget.

When I hire people for the jail, one in three must be female and I am always looking for bi-lingual personnel. The jail staff must work un-armed with the same people that the armed patrol deputy and other law enforcement officers have dealt with when making an arrest. The best jail staffers are those that have great people skills, that are able to communicate well with a wide range of people, and are self confident. Good jail staffers are people who are sticklers for detail but can be flexible when the need arises. Jail staff must be professional and be able to put their own feelings aside.

As many of you are aware, we had to house a woman several years ago who had murdered her two very young children. She was known to most of us in law enforcement because she had been an animal control officer with the city, and then became a dispatcher in our communication center. We, like the majority of the Sheriff’s Offices in Colorado, are small and located in rural parts of the state. We know most of the people in our community. I give the highest praise to my detention staff that deals with people like this woman on a daily basis. They always act in a professional manner and never let their feelings interfere with their job duties.

The few TV shows or movies that deal with jails and prison usually depict the detention staff as cruel or as morons. This is definitely not the case. Those who staff our jail are good people that are under paid, hard working, dedicated individuals helping to keep our communities safe. The next time you think about the Sheriff’s Office, stop and take a moment to say a prayer for these folks who spend their working days with people who most of us would not want as next door neighbors.

We invite you to our open house on Saturday, August 9th, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. I look forward to seeing you!

Looking Out For the Community is presented by The Lamar Ledger and local law enforcement in the interest of public safety and awareness.