Sheriff explains staffing swaps, court security pay and part‑time tier change as jail budget holds steady

The Dearborn County sheriff asked commissioners on June 1 to reclassify and reorganize some jail and court‑security positions and to allow a higher part‑time pay tier for courthouse security officers who carry weapons. Commissioners agreed to the staffing swap and authorized the sheriff to set part‑time pay for armed court security in the higher tier range.

Sheriff’s staff described a reorganization that moves a full‑time jail sergeant into a civilian court‑security role; the person moving to court security would be designated a corporal rather than a sergeant while another jail sergeant would be promoted to fill the vacated supervision slot. The sheriff said the swap will reduce reliance on part‑time court‑security staff, improve daily coverage and add supervisory continuity in the jail and courtroom operations.

The sheriff also asked that hourly pay for armed courthouse security be set in the department’s Tier 3 range (noted in the budget as $19–$23/hour) rather than Tier 2 ($18/hour). Commissioners authorized the sheriff to set courthouse security part‑time pay at the higher specialist tier to reflect weapons training and responsibilities; commissioners left the overall part‑time budget unchanged and asked the sheriff to manage within the existing appropriation.

Commissioners also moved several vehicle outfitting costs into capital/capital construction (CCD) lines to better align long‑term vehicle build costs with capital funding, and asked the sheriff to provide quarterly commissary financial reports to comply with new statutory reporting requirements.