Sheriff needs corrections staff

RITZVILLE - His opening salvo described a lot about his life behind bars.

"I inherited the jail, obviously, and it's always been a situation within our Sheriff's Office in the county, where it's hard to find people," Sheriff Dale Wagner said. "And then we've only had over the many years, only nine allotted positions."

That's a pressure gauge hooked up to a "you can't win" steam engine where you can have to provide the best care possible to those who would never choose to have you in charge, and other people who could be valuable working with you don't want to be there, either.

"Over the years, even before I was the sheriff, we were running on very slim staffing," Wagner said. "Whether there had been openings in the jail for staff, and we couldn't fill all those positions, people would leave for various reasons.

"So, we maintained the job with one person working at a time."

That strategy blew up June 28, 2022, when the lone jailer tried to break up a fight between two prisoners and was subsequently attacked.

"In my opinion, he was trying to kill the other inmate," Wagner said of the violent prisoner. "Our jailer called for backup, so guys out on the road had to come in and assist him, but it took quite a while for them to get there."

Fortunately, one of the prisoners stepped in to assist the jailer.

"We are very grateful for him," Wagner said. "This facility is very old, but it doesn't mean it can't be used but I need staff to do it."

Wagner said the day after the altercation in the jail cell, "six of the eight people walked off the job.

"I had to adjust. Scramble. I had a commander and a sergeant, but they no longer work for us because of the stress and the issues."

Officers needed

Wagner said the Sheriff's Office needs corrections officers.

"Our jail facility is not set up safe enough for us to (operate) with one person," Wagner said. "We don't have automatic door locks; It's all done by key. It's a safety situation.

"They're pods where there's seven to 10 people in a pod, and if a corrections officer has to go into a pod, he's putting himself in danger if he's doing anything."

Wagner said he's aware of at least three Adams County sheriffs who tried to solve the problem prior to his tenure.

"We didn't have the offenders like we have now. And we didn't have as many," Wagner said. "Our current jail status, for the facility itself, needs upgrades for the safety of the inmates and also the safety of my staff. We need more staff. We can't do it with one man anymore."

Wagner said his on-road deputy staff is where it needs to be, but trying to attract jailers to Adams County has been difficult.

"We have a very active Facebook page for the Sheriff's Office constantly recruiting," Wagner said. "The problem is right now, in the nation, and especially in Washington, people aren't interested in these types of jobs anymore.

Looking back, Wagner said he remembers a time when 300 people would take the test for law enforcement positions.

"The line was out the door. Everybody wanted a police job, right? Corrections as well," he said. "Now, we're barely getting applications anymore."

Wagner said his jail competes for corrections officers with prisons in Walla Walla and Pendleton, as well as larger counties with better starting pay.

"County jail corrections is very difficult," Wagner said. "Adams County can't compete with Grant County. We can't compete with Benton or Franklin County.

"We don't have the tax base. We don't have the population. It's a struggle right now because we had to close the jail because of manpower."

Without proper staffing, Adams County contracts with other areas to house inmates.

That's costly, Wagner said. Two officers are required to transport a single prisoner.

Right now, the least expensive lockup boarding cost is in Franklin County at $85 per day, he said. And that does not include transportation costs.

"The transportation is just as expensive as the rent," Wagner said. "You're paying salaries. You're paying for the vehicle. You're paying the gas, maintenance and things like that...

"So yes, it's very expensive.

For now, Adams County doesn't have a choice.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat that at all, which causes even more of a problem if we want to bring inmates back when we're full staff."

Inmate changes

Wagner said there is a noticeable shift regarding inmate character over the past decade or two.

"We have a huge mental health crisis, and we have a huge opiate crisis," Wagner said. "Fentanyl, mental health, emergency, medical, all things that people are dealing with today, depression, anxiety, everything that's nationally and worldwide. We're dealing with it on a higher level than we've ever seen."

The changes make management complex.

"They don't see cops as authority anymore," he said. "Some of them don't even see their parents as authority.

"Then you have juvenile crimes in the state of Washington, where they are getting away with everything right now. So, the justice system is broken in the whole country, in my opinion, and the inmates are completely different."

Wagner said he is startled by the absence of enforcement in retail crimes such as shoplifting.

"Now, the stores have the liability involved with stopping someone outside who accuses you of assault or anything like that," Wagner said. "The store has to make a decision for their employees weighing the risk versus the reward."

Wagner said it's frustrating for law enforcement officers, and residents, as it fuels inflation.

Wagner said his department has a good track record in presenting criminal cases for prosecution.

"When they take cases, they're good," Wagner said, "but that's an a tribute to my investigators and deputies.

Wagner said his entire staff is 18 officers, including himself and the undersheriff.

The jail accounts for nine of the positions.

"I have my commander plus eight positions for corrections," Wagner said. "Right now, the biggest challenge would be manpower for the jail."

But the jail itself needs work, too.

"It needs to be remodeled or upgraded in some form, at least maintained, better fixed, made more livable," he said. "My challenge is finding corrections staff that will look at our building and see where we're heading, and hopefully stay long enough so we can overcome some of the problems."

Wagner said he can't do the job with six people.

"But I'm rebuilding," Wagner said. I need more staff."