Sheriff defends card protocols, details NextGen 9-1-1 upgrades and funding increase

Sheriff Curt Schneider addressed questions raised about county credit-card use and described office protocols and an upcoming 9-1-1 technology upgrade during the April 30 meeting.

Responding to a constituent's concerns that an employee improperly used a gas card or that rewards were diverted, Schneider said the department maintains company cards in secure safes with sign-out protocols. On Sam's Club accounts that generate rewards, Schneider said the points currently accrue to the county and have not been spent: "We don't use them. They sit there," Schneider said, adding that the county could produce records and that staff would audit past transactions if specific concerns are raised.

Sheriff Schneider also described upgrades for the county 9-1-1 center. He said the county is trialing a console upgrade (one station first) and that the county's 9-1-1 funding has increased because of changes in the per-device surcharge, now $0.60 per device per month. Schneider told the board that local receipts could increase from roughly $114,578 a year to about $350,000 a year under the revised distribution formula and that the county will use funding for NextGen 9-1-1 equipment that improves location precision and internet-based call routing.

Why it matters: Schneider's comments respond to public concerns about oversight and describe a major technology upgrade that will affect emergency response capabilities. He urged anyone with specific allegations about past card use to provide details so the office can investigate.

Next steps: The sheriff said the office will audit records if specifics are provided and proceed with staged upgrades to dispatcher consoles as part of the NextGen 9-1-1 rollout.