Shoshone sheriff's office to cut jobs

WALLACE - Budgets woes may force the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office to eliminate three patrol positions and two jailers, as well as freeze all raises for two years.

Sheriff Mitch Alexander said it may be he'll return to the streets to enforce the law.

"I took an oath, I'll uphold it and I've gotta get the job done," Alexander said. "That's the bottom line."

Not only does the Sheriff's Office face a tight budget, but they also are tied to the mandatory five-year replacement of bullet-proof vests, costing $25,000, and a mandatory increase in pay-out to the juvenile hold in Kootenai County.

There is also a decrease in state revenue for Shoshone County to house state inmates, as the county jail is not receiving as many prisoners.

Alexander said the cuts to his office's current expense budget are deep. For a county that is 2,640 square miles, he said a further decrease in Sheriff's Office funding and staffing will stretch the office thin in all areas.

For the entire southern portion of Shoshone County, including Avery and Clarkia, there is only one deputy. Alexander said the Sheriff's Office is a team, with himself and Undersheriff Rod Plank as the coaches. With the coming year he said the coaches are going to have to drop their clipboards and hit the field alongside their players in an effort to continue coverage of the county.

"We may have to change the way business is run in Shoshone County," Alexander added, warning that changes may not please county residents.

If the Sheriff's Office continues to face financial hardship, Alexander mentioned emergency calls may have to be prioritized and area events may have to provide their own security.

Alexander started out 19 years ago in the Sheriff's Office, and said he doesn't mind returning to the streets himself to get the job done.

The continuing strain on the Sheriff's Office current expense budget, however, concerns Alexander as they address an increased rate of crime with a decreasing budget.

According to state statistics, Shoshone County saw a crime increase of 106 percent from 2008 to 2009.

Alexander also worries they may have a difficult time upholding contracts to provide law enforcement for Wallace, Mullan and Smelterville - Silver Valley towns that do not have their own police departments.

Worries of Shoshone County Sheriff's Office employees currently being paid under their responsibility level being enticed to join the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office also linger in the back of Alexander's mind.

If the Sheriff's Office were to lose someone, they would not be able to offer an attractive wage to fill the vacancy. It also would take one to two years for a new hire to learn the patrol or detention center job.

Along with the loss of three patrol positions and two jail positions, the sheriff's office faces the elimination of a part-time administrative position without benefits and 20 hours per month from the facility janitor schedule.

As well, longevity and step raises have been frozen for two years along with cost of living raises for any employee.

Plank stressed that this upcoming fiscal year digs deeper into their office than before.

"We're not just dealing with paper clips and pencils. It's people."