Fremont County Sheriff Ryan Lee in his monthly report to the county commissioners Tuesday said his Office is still dealing with staffing shortages in his operations county wide and he said he has been working patrol deputies across both divisions. The most critical need, he reported, is at the detention center where bookings were up by 26 in April while he is down eight detention deputies. Total bookings last month included 212 individuals with the majority, or 115, coming from the Riverton Police Department. His department accounted for 54 bookings while 28 came from the Lander PD and the rest from the Highway Patrol at 8, US Marshal’s at 3 and the Shoshoni PD at 4 bookings. The majority of the inmates continue to be males with 124 plus 57 females and four juveniles.
Of those inmates incarcerated, 69 are currently serving court-ordered sentences, 42 men and 27 women, while 117 inmates are still waiting for their day in court. That’s nine more inmates from last month.
Lee also said he has one opening for a cook in the Detention Center and one nurse.
The Sheriff said 71 percent of his budget has been spent with 2.5 months left to go in the fiscal year. He told the commission that the average increase in the price of food for the detention center is 5.5 percent, although he noted some items increased by a whopping 65 percent.
Lee said the Wyoming Department of Corrections has reimbursed the county $170,000 for housing inmates sentenced to prison.
In the Emergency Dispatch Center, the Sheriff said he is still down five full-time positions, but that he has five temporary part-time employees on board there.
In the Patrol Division, he said he is short one deputy in the Riverton area,