Coos County sheriff candidate Mike Kinnaird says reopening a jail housing unit would be a priority if he is elected, even if the county had to cut patrol positions to pay for it.
Kinnaird, a sheriff’s deputy making his third run for the office, said the jail needs more space to hold people who repeatedly come into contact with law enforcement. He argued that current leadership has focused too heavily on patrol and too little on the jail.
JPR invited incumbent Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio to participate in the Jefferson Exchange candidate forum but received no response.
Kinnaird’s plan begins with changing who fills some jail jobs.
“One of my campaign ideas is to use more civilian personnel in our jail’s facility,” he said. “They wouldn’t have to go to an academy.”
Kinnaird estimated that civilian employees would cost about $20,000 less per person than deputies. He pointed to the jail’s existing civilian control room operators as an example.
Certified deputies, he said, would handle duties involving more contact with people in custody.
“All I’m asking for is to have people in positions that really don’t have interaction with adults in custody,” he said.
That staffing change is only one part of his approach. Kinnaird described a more consequential choice if the county could not afford both his jail plan and current patrol staffing.
“If the funding isn’t there to fund the other pod and maintain the current numbers of patrol, I would cut patrol if necessary to open up another pod,” he said.
Kinnaird said more jail space could reduce the number of repeat offenders who receive citations rather than being held. He hopes that showing results could help persuade residents to support more funding for the sheriff’s office.
Guest
- Mike Kinnaird, deputy, Coos County Sheriff's Office
