Sheriff summarizes plans for new jail configuration

During the June 16 meeting of the Waseca County Board, commissioners heard from the business managers of the three school districts based within the county about a statewide voter decision scheduled to appear on ballots during the Nov. 3 election.

 

The managers wanted commissioners to be aware of the question and requested their assistance in educating the public. A separate article regarding the issue appears elsewhere in this edition of the Pioneer. 

 

Waseca County Sheriff Jay Dulas shared preliminary information he has been compiling regarding operation changes his office will be making as it transitions from having a local “class 3” facility authorized by the Minnesota Department of Corrections to house inmates 365 days a year to the 72-hour “holding” facility which will be part of the county’s new justice center, expected to be under construction beginning this fall and in use by February of 2028.

 

Dulas shared he has had many conversations with representatives from various agencies as he works to envision and build a system that will meet the needs of the many groups which work with individuals taken into custody by the sheriff’s office and by Waseca, New Richland, and Janesville police departments.

 

He estimates a strong percentage of people arrested will be held only in the 72-hour facility at the justice center, since they might be taken into custody one day, have a court appearance within 24 hours, and then be released on their own recognizance to await further court action.

 

For anyone who must be incarcerated longer than the three days, Dulas told commissioners he expects to work with the Le Sueur County Jail, where the anticipated rate will be $75 per prisoner per day. For inmates housed at LeSueur County, conversations with corrections personnel, lawyers, and others can take place either in person or remotely via the internet; many court proceedings can also take place remotely.

 

Dulas pointed out the dynamics of his staff will change dramatically as the new justice center becomes operational. For example, licensed deputies will be needed during business hours to operate the security scanning equipment which will be at the entry to the justice center. He also stated a jailer would need to be on duty full time, even when the holding facility might be empty, since individuals might be arrested and need processing and supervision at any time.

 

He told commissioners staff members have expressed a willingness to be trained in additional tasks; new certifications, for example, would allow jailers to use some of their time to complete paperwork and administrative duties now typically taken care of by dispatchers. This flexibility would be especially helpful, he commented, when dispatch staff is dealing with emergencies or must remain in communication with callers for extended periods. With proper certification, jailers might also be able to help with transporting individuals to or from LeSueur County, as needed.

 

Commissioners suggested that Dulas might make it a preliminary goal to begin initiating some of the 72-hour practices at the start of 2027. Doing so, they offered, might allow the sheriff’s office to make a two-step transition to new procedures and budget elements, rather than all at once at the beginning of 2028.

 

During the June 16 meeting, commissioners also voted to accept a grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation; under the grant, Waseca County Public Health will receive 120 children’s books supplied by Capstone Publishing. Public Health Director Sarah Berry explained the books are distributed free of charge by department nurses during their home visits. Getting books into the hands of parents so that they can read to and interact with their children is an essential element of early literacy, Berry elaborated.