Linn County Commissioner Sherrie Sprenger and Linn County Sheriff Michelle Duncan held a town hall meeting May 27 to provide general information about current work in the county.
Topics discussed included body cameras for deputies, what kind of extra support the county would like to see, jail bed availability, park fees and a recent death at the Linn County Jail.
Jail death
Family and friends of Dustin Coughran attended the meeting to get answers and seek accountability in his death while he was an inmate at the county jail. Duncan explained it is an active investigation that she is unable to speak much about until the case concludes.
See The New Era’s story for more information.
Body cameras
Sprenger said the Linn County Sheriff’s Office asked for approval to purchase body-worn cameras for its deputies in the next budget cycle.
“We are the only police agency in this county that does not have body cameras,” Duncan said.
Duncan explained that the LCSO budget is approximately $57 million. Approximately $14 million of it comes from the county’s general fund, and the rest comes from a levy and revenue through contracts with cities and other government agencies.
Of the levy approved by voters, the sheriff’s office receives about 76% and the rest goes to the district attorney and juvenile department.
As body cameras are “a very expensive item,” the sheriff’s office approached the county for assistance in obtaining them.
“When I took over as sheriff, that was one of my five-year plans,” Duncan said. “It’s just what needs to happen in law enforcement today.”
The LCSO has been researching body camera options in the market for the past two years and will soon receive some cameras to test out before making a purchase, she said.
“Our deputies want them,” Duncan said. “It honestly would help them more than it would hurt them.”
Support wanted
Ivan Maluski, who’s running for state representative in the 11th district this year, asked what kind of support the county would like to see more of from the state.
Duncan said she’d like to see more state support in the areas of mental health, more specifically in the jails. She’d also like the state to reconsider laws around its “sanctuary state” standing and the prohibition of pulling drivers over for dead headlights or taillights.
Another person in the audience asked what type of grassroots support they’d like to see from the community.
Sprenger said she’d love to see volunteers man some sort of information service at the court house, and Duncan said she’d like more support services to help raise employees’ resilience.
Additionally, Duncan said the county needs a “proper” emergency management center and more mental health treatment.
“The one thing I am grateful for is the relationship with our community first and foremost,” Duncan said. “They’ve always been super supportive, even when times were tough for law enforcement. I can’t tell you how motivating that is for someone in law enforcement to know that their community supports them through all the stuff they’re seeing and doing.”
She also appreciates the relationships they have with fire departments, commissioners and other agencies.
Jail beds
Lebanon City Attorney Tre Kennedy said increasing state regulations have hindered the city from being able to keep its jail open. This fact led him to ask about the availability of jail beds at Linn County Jail.
Duncan said they’ve often had to turn away city inmates from being jailed because either there were no beds available for females, or the inmate had medical issues the county could not assist with.
LCSO is currently remodeling its jail to add 22 beds for females. That will make a total of 253 beds at the jail.
Park fees
Concerning new day use park fees at Sunnyside and Waterloo, Sprenger explained the main reason is to try to deter thefts at the parks.
She said the county has had problems with people scoping out campsites and then returning at night to steal items. While they can’t promise the fees will stop theft altogether, Sprenger said the new day use fees have already reduced thefts.
The county also implemented parking fees at Clear Lake because so many cars were parking up there that they were blocking the road and making it so the fire department would be unable to get through.