Sheriff asks for more deputies, reclassifications and an evidence technician amid rising jail demands

The sheriff told Kerr County commissioners on June 1 that rising jail populations, expanding interdiction operations and growing redaction and evidence workloads require a set of staffing and classification changes to be considered in the FY27 budget.

In an extended presentation the sheriff requested three reclassifications (including an investigator to a lieutenant and a telecommunications supervisor to a public‑safety telecommunications administrator), additional patrol deputies and corrections officers, and creation of a civilian evidence technician position to handle intake, storage, chain‑of‑custody and time‑consuming redaction of body‑worn and in‑car video.

The sheriff said one investigative position under consideration supervises interdiction officers across multiple counties, oversees the license‑plate‑reader (LPR) system and coordinates with federal task forces; he asked to fund that upgrade partly from Senate Bill 22 funds. He also reported that interdiction work under that unit has yielded about $342,000 in seizures realized and about $441,000 pending.

On jail staffing the sheriff asked for an additional corrections officer to reach nine staff per shift in order to meet Texas standards and account for booking, control duties, sick leave, trainings and courthouse transports. He said the jail population that day was about 225 inmates and that Bear County currently accounts for roughly 65 out‑of‑county inmates being housed in Kerr County at an agreed daily rate that the sheriff described as unsustainably low ($65/day); commissioners discussed pushing Bear County to alternative arrangements or higher rates.

Finally, the sheriff emphasized the increasing burden of open‑records requests and flood‑related video redaction, noting the statutory hourly recovery for redaction labor is limited and that a civilian evidence technician could reduce sworn‑officer time spent on administrative duties.

What’s next: These are budget requests and reclassification proposals; no formal approvals were made during the workshop. Commissioners will consider the sheriff’s requests in the budget process and weigh available funds, including use of Senate Bill 22 monies.