At its Sept. 2 meeting, the Vance County Board of Commissioners Public Safety Committee got an update on repairs being made at the jail.
Frankie Nobles reported on a long list of repairs, replacements and demolition that have been made thus far and said all the maintenance items that had been noted on jail inspections have been made.
“We’re in good shape,” Nobles said in reference to addressing deficiencies that included broken locks, doors, missing ceiling tiles, peeling paint and more throughout the facility.
Sheriff Curtis Brame said that he feels more comfortable about the safety of sheriff staff and detention center staff in light of the repairs and upgrades that have been made.
But he reiterated that if something’s not done about the staffing shortage – 16 to 18 openings at the jail alone – he won’t be satisfied.
“People get complacent, people get tired,” Brame said of the overworked detention center staff during the meeting. “Until we get our staffing up to par, not only at the detention center, but also at the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, we’re going to continue to have these issues and these problems.”
Salaries need to be more competitive to attract quality employees. The repairs that have been made have helped to reduce incidents at the jail, and that may entice more people to apply to work there.
“We have minimized assaults, we have minimized and improved officer safety,” Brame said. It’s vital to get the staffing levels up as the county prepares to build a new detention center. Brame said people need to be hired now so they’ll be trained and ready when the new jail opens.
The current jail remains over capacity, for reasons that include backlogs in the court system, repeat-offender detainees not able to post bond and a lack of beds in the state prison system.
CLICK PLAY!