City of Sedgwick gives more detail into police chief’s resignation
27 October 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — In August 2022, the Sedgwick County Jail was understaffed by 50%. This meant that every guard was responsible for 70 inmates at one time. This presented serious safety concerns. Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter attributed the 16-hour shifts to high rates of turnover.
A pay raise in 2022 is being credited with attracting more people to the job. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office graduated 13 detention deputies on Thursday. The deputies start almost immediately, and next week, their training program begins again with 22 new recruits.
Pinning badges on 13 new Sedgwick County detention deputies was a welcome sight for a sheriff’s office that is dealing with hiring issues.
“We had morale issues because of being so short and everyone working overtime and those sorts of things. That’s getting better,” said Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter.
Even though the pay increase of $4, from around $19 to $23, is being credited with doubling its staff, the jail is still facing a shortage, which means one detention deputy on shift may still be responsible for 50 inmates at one time.
“Inmates have figured out how to defeat the locks by using a simple piece of paper that they stuff into it, so they can pop that door open anytime our deputy is doing a round, which is a safety concern,” said Easter.
In order to create a safe space, all locks in the jail are being replaced. Also, 400 surveillance cameras are being added.
“Every cell will have a camera in it. Now do they have some privacy? Yes, we black out the area where the toilet is, but it gives us an opportunity to keep a better eye on them, whether it is because of a medical issue or a fight, those types of things,” said Easter.
They will also be adding cameras to their master control system, which will free up staff. This means that routine checks will have deputies in pairs instead of having to complete them alone.