September 4, 2007

Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon

Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon presented an overview of various programs and issues that impact the Sheriff's office.  He has been with the office for 27 years and was elected to be Sheriff in 2005.

One of the main issues that the office is currently working with is the change in the concealed/carry laws and permit renewals that are slated for April-May 2008.  He recommended that individuals wanting more information on this visit the Sheriff's or State Attorney General's website.  Also affecting the office are changes in the sex offender's laws with a new system of classification.  In other areas, overcrowding was the only category which fell short of a perfect inspection by the State for the County Jail.

In terms of statistics, there are 56 registered sex offenders in the county with 4 corrections officers designated to work with them, 356 concealed/carry permits issued to residents and the average prisoner count in the jail is 81 to 89 (72 is the design capacity).  Burglary, theft and drugs are the major issues for inmates and many of the problems stem from need to finance drug habits.  The average age of the inmates is 18-24.

The Special Response Team consisting of 8 people has adopted an old rescue squad vehicle from the St John's Fire Department and through funding provided entirely by private donations, they have renovated the vehicle and use it to transport special equipment as needed in emergency situations.

The department has increased the number of auxiliary deputies from 15 to 27.  Among their other duties, they assist in the Explorer program that works with young people (age 13 through 19) who have an interest in law enforcement.  There are currently 12 teens participating in the program.

Projects in the works for the department include video cameras for the cruisers, upgrading the information management system for the jail, inmate work crews, updating fire alarms at the jail, 911 tracking map upgrades, radio communication systems upgrades, in car computers and a video system for the courthouse.  A volunteer program incorporates the help of people willing to donate their time working with the corrections office in the commissary, GED programs, ministry to inmates, nursing care, data entry and assisting with the Explorer program.  The department works on an annual budget of $4.1M and is open to giving tours to help educate the public on the many aspects of the department.  For more information on the Sheriff's Office, follow this link.

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