Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department; “”We Need More Than A New Jail””

San Andreas, CA — For the past year a new jail has been the hot topic of conversation regarding the Calaveras County Jail.

But now the Sheriff´s Department is studying an independent consultant´s report regarding current and long term needs. Kirchhoff & Associates was commissioned to conduct that 92 page report that has been presented to the Board of Superivisors.

While there is a plethora of statistics within the report, several stand out as key factors. Initially the consultant states that to provide the public with adequate service eight deputies must be hired immediately. In addition two deputies should be added each year with a one-half support person added annually.

According to Captain Jim Macedo perhaps the most shocking statistic is that it takes an average of 36 minutes for a deputy to respond to a call and 90 minutes to complete that call. The response time is totally unacceptable to the department.

Comparison statistics in the study indicated that on an employee-to-calls-for-service ratio, Calaveras County registered 1 per 643 while Tuolumne County was 1 per 276.

The supervisors and the department will now join forces to determine how those needs can be met financially.

Click Kirchhoff & Associates Report for the entire 92 page document.

Written by Bill Johnson