After posting an administrative position to take charge of the Lake County Detention Center on the county’s job website in February, the county commissioners held a public meeting on Tuesday, March 24, with a resolution of intention to reassign control of the jail.  

The detention center is currently managed by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and is ultimately the responsibility of the commissioners. Under law, the commissioners have a variety of different avenues, such as hiring a private contractor or an administrator to run the facility. 

The resolution stated that under the current administrative structure, the center has had “maladministration, muddled leadership and accountability,” along with “elevated staff turnover rates and inadequate staff training and oversight.”  

Commissioner Bill Barron said that Lake County is unique because Public Law 280, a decades-old agreement between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the State of Montana and the county, makes the county responsible for prosecuting most felonies involving tribal members.  

Those duties, in turn, have created increasingly higher detention loads and a need for more jail cells. Additionally, the county has faced lawsuits involving inmate rights. 

Barron said the goal of this administrative change is to prevent further lawsuits and allow the center to run more smoothly and efficiently.  

Barron said he feels like this is an opportune time to make the transition because they will have Sheriff Don Bell for another four years since he is running unopposed for reelection. However, under the existing system, a new sheriff in the future would have to learn the ropes of the center while mastering the responsibilities of sheriff. 

“When a new sheriff comes in, there's a huge learning curve, and there's issues that happen,” said Barron. “It's very rare you have a sheriff come in that's in a position where they can just pick up the jail and run with it.”  

Barron knows this firsthand, having served as sheriff himself, and said none of his comments are directed towards Sheriff Bell. Instead, he believes it’s in the county’s best interest to have a jail administrator who is not bound to the four-year election cycle and has the potential to improve a lot of the center's functions.  

Barron said this resolution has nothing to do with limiting the sheriff’s authority, and the sheriff will remain the chief law enforcement officer of the county. This administrative position will be like any other department the county has, and will be under the direction of the county commissioners.  

Barron said there should be no difference in finances when adding this position, and it might even save money. The position is currently posted at $70,000 to $75,000.  

According to Commissioner Gale Decker they have a high turnover rate in the center and during exit interviews they received complaints about insufficient training. Decker said turnover is a significant expense and addressing that issue could save them money.  

“We think there are some trainings that need to be done on a more consistent basis. Lawsuits are not beneficial to the county – last one cost us a little over $3 million,” Decker said. “So, there's a lot of different factors that are that are going into this decision, that we're contemplating.”  

Barron said the finances are extremely important to them, and that public safety, dispatch, and the detention center takes up sometimes half the county budget or more.  

Decker added that they have had some applicants for the position, but they have not yet reviewed their resumes.  

Barron said he had hoped to receive a lot of public involvement at last week’s meeting, but few public comments were made.  

Corporal James Boyd from the dentition center was present and asked the commission what happens to his staff and their longevity. He also noted that they are currently trying to fix the turnover rate.  

“I'm being honest with you, working for the sheriff is the best way to go about this. In my opinion, we enjoyed working for the sheriff,” Boyd said. He added that the center’s staff has reported issues with the sheriff’s response time. “I'm afraid that you might end up losing more than you think you might.”  

Barron said they will not lose their time of service with the county. Commissioner Steve Stanley said Boyd’s questions will have to be answered and asked him to provide them in writing so they can be properly addressed.  

The resolution of intent was passed and the commissioners will have another meeting on May 4 to consider the final resolution. 

“I'm hoping to see is a real positive outcome come out of this, where we can work together with the sheriff in this process to improve it, take some load off his plate and make some positive changes down there and move forward with a program that will last for years,” Barron said.