Jail staff shortages continue

COEUR d’ALENE — The night before Halloween is a big one for partygoers.

This year, Oct. 30 was also a busy night at the Kootenai County Jail.

Sheriff Bob Norris described an incident where rowdy inmates reportedly yelled obscenities at jail staff, used mattresses to block cell windows and smeared soap on floors in order to make deputies slip when entering cells.

One inmate allegedly spread feces on the floor of his cell.

There were no injuries, Norris said, and staff did not deploy chemical or less-lethal ordnance.

But it took all hands on deck — including 10 off-duty deputies — more than three hours to calm the situation.

Norris said the incident is an example of how staff shortages at the Kootenai County Jail are creating an unsafe environment for inmates and deputies alike.

Without higher wages, Norris said, there’s likely no end in sight.

The jail has 12 open positions at present. More than 20% of jail staff is in training.

“We’re running nearly every shift below minimum staffing,” Norris said.

The inmate population typically hovers around 410, which Norris said is close to the jail’s functional capacity. Maximum capacity is 451.

More than 70% of those currently incarcerated are facing felony charges, Norris said — a reversal from years past, when misdemeanor offenders made up the bulk of the inmate population.

Norris said vacancies and constant training due to high turnover compromise the jail staff’s ability to maintain a safe environment.

Under ideal circumstances, jail staff conduct at least one dorm search per shift, checking for weapons, drugs, homemade alcohol fermented from fruit and bread and other contraband.

The jail is so shorthanded, however, that staff manages just one or two searches a week.

Inmates who are housed in general population are under constant supervision from a control room, where staff observe activity in dormitory pods and other areas.

Individual security inspections within cells occur every hour. Staff are expected to “physically observe” all inmates during these inspections.

Deputies who are overburdened with tasks and working long hours due to staffing shortages may be in a rush.

“We want them to take the necessary time to put eyes on every inmate and make sure their health is sustained and they’re not in distress,” Norris said. “Once you speed up those processes, that’s when things get missed.”

Norris attributes staffing difficulties mostly to wages.

Control room operators make $16 an hour, he said, while booking clerks and jail technicians start around $14.52.

These positions are critical to the jail — and they pay less than some fast-food jobs.

“We hire one, we lose two,” he said. “We just don’t seem to be making any headway.”

Norris said the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol both had recruiting booths at the North Idaho State Fair in August.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office recently made headlines for spending $12,000 on electronic billboards in Times Square, advertising $15,000 hiring bonuses to lateral officers.

Meanwhile, a recent Spokane County Detention Services listing for a technical assistant offered a wage of up to $40,600 per year, as well as a hiring bonus of up to $3,500.

Despite these efforts to court new hires from out of state, Norris said no KCSO deputies have left for another law enforcement agency since he took office.

But some are leaving, often for different industries that offer better pay.

“I have deputies who are leaving to be electricians or linemen,” Norris said.

Kootenai County employees could see a boost in pay through a new wage study that seeks to address issues of staffing and turnover.

The study will analyze approximately 50 county positions. It’s expected to be finished by April 2022.

A 2019 wage study found that several county pay plans were below market.

Following that, Kootenai County commissioners approved a budget that included $1.7 million in wage increases. Approximately $900,000 were allocated for sworn and civilian Sheriff’s Office employees.

The budget also had a 2% wage increase for about 75% of all county employees.

County commissioners approved salary increases for eligible employees on Oct. 10 in an attempt to adjust wages. The average increase was 4%.

With a turnover rate of 11.04% among Sheriff’s Office employees, Norris said increasing wages further is vital.

KCSO doesn’t necessarily have to pay what other agencies pay, he said, but wages need to be close.

“I think deputies and jail staff are waiting to see what the commissioners are going to do,” he said.