THE WOODBURY COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE HAS OPERATED UNDERSTAFFED FOR WELL OVER A YEAR.
COUNTY ATTORNEY JAMES LOOMIS HAS THREE NEW PROSECUTORS HE IS READY TO HIRE TO FINALLY GET BACK TO FULL STAFFING, BUT A PROPOSED BUDGET FREEZE BY COUNTY SUPERVISORS IN A TIGHT BUDGET YEAR MAY DERAIL THAT PLAN.
LOOMIS EXPRESSED HIS CONCERNS TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AT THEIR WEEKLY MEETING:
LOOMIS13 OC……DECISION TO MAKE. :24
LOOMIS SAYS ALL THREE ACCEPTED HIS GOOD FAITH OFFER IN THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS AND HE NEEDS THEM TO HELP HANDLE THE CASELOAD HIS OFFICE HAS BEEN DEALING WITH WHILE UNDERSTAFFED:
LOOMIS14 OC….BEEN FACED WITH. :18
MEMBERS OF THE SIOUX CITY POLICE AND WOODBURY COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT SPOKE ON LOOMIS’ BEHALF.
POLICE CAPTAIN RYAN BERTRAND WAS THE FIRST TO SPEAK:
BERTRAND1 OC………SOMETHING EVEN WORSE. :24
COUNTY SHERIFF CHAD SHEEHAN ALSO SPOKE AND REMINDED THE BOARD THAT HIS DEPARTMENT IS ALSO SHORT OF CORRECTIONS STAFF, WHICH ARE NEEDED TO SUPERVISE THE GROWING NUMBER OF FEDERAL INMATES THAT PROVIDE REVENUE TO THE COUNTY BY BEING HELD AT THE NEW LAW ENFORCEMENT CENTER FACILITY:
CHAD8 OC………AGAIN SOON. :21
SHEEHAN SAYS HE NEEDS AT LEAST EIGHT MORE JAILERS TO DEAL WITH THE INCREASE OF INMATES.
HAVING SAID THAT, HE CONCLUDED BY SAYING DEFUNDING THE COUNTY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE WOULD BE WORSE THAN DEFUNDING THE POLICE:
CHAD9 OC……I’M MOVING. :22
COUNTY SUPERVISORS HAVE NOT MADE A FINAL DECISION ON THE HIRING FREEZE AND HOW MANY DEPARTMENTS WILL BE AFFECTED.
