Extra deputy to join drug task force

ASOTIN - Asotin County will be hiring two more patrol deputies at the sheriff's office and assigning a senior officer to the Quad Cities Drug Task Force.

The deputies were included in the 2015 budget for the department, which was approved last month.

At Monday's Asotin County Commission meeting, Sheriff John Hilderbrand said the additional personnel will allow a deputy to work on the drug task force with officers from other area agencies. Asotin County has not had a representative on the multiagency force for at least eight years.

The commissioners said overtime costs have already decreased under the new administration, and the new patrol deputies should make another significant dent.

Overtime became a sore subject during former Sheriff Ken Bancroft's two-term tenure. The commissioners wanted to add two patrol positions, but they say the offer was never accepted. At the time, one of the reasons given was that overtime helped boost the salaries of underpaid deputies.

"For years we've been told the Asotin County Sheriff's Office doesn't pay as much as other agencies, and that's why people leave," said Commissioner Brian Shinn.

Shinn asked the new sheriff if that's true. Hilderbrand said the pay scale at Asotin County is in line with other jurisdictions. Benefits may be better across the river at other counties, but the wages are comparable.

Hilderbrand said he and Undersheriff Scott Coppess are working on grants for traffic safety emphasis campaigns and patrols of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer bike path that will provide additional compensation to the department. Those kind of incentives will help offset the loss of overtime wages for deputies, he said.

The county is also revamping adult probation. The program has been in place for years, but will now be supervised by the District Court judge instead of being a line item in the Asotin County Jail budget. The position will be opened up to applicants, the commissioners said, and funding will be dependent on the collection of fees and fines.

Commissioner Jim Fuller said the person who is hired to handle adult probation should understand that if the program doesn't pay for itself, it's going away.

Other staffing changes at the jail are being discussed, but no final decisions have been made, Hilderbrand said.

In other county business:

• Seven Asotin County residents were appointed to the Veterans Advisory Board to serve staggered terms. They are Chuck Wittman, Marvin Jackson, Jimmy Tedder, Sarah Lee, Donald Erickson, Bill Dougherty and Rodger Rawson. The volunteers represent the veteran community and nationally recognized veteran service organizations, and the board will advise the county on the needs of local indigent veterans, said Commissioner Jim Jeffords.
• Cynthia Tierney has been hired as the employment services supervisor for Asotin County Community Services. She will oversee work programs for developmentally delayed residents, such as janitorial positions and maintenance of the levee system.
• The commissioners will conduct a town hall meeting at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 12. The quarterly listening sessions are designed for the public to discuss issues of concern with county officials. One of the suggested topics for the next meeting is county road standards.
• The Asotin County Cattlemen and Cattlewomen associations are holding a public meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 20 at Asotin City Hall to discuss wolves. Officials from the state level of the organizations will be in attendance, and Shinn said he plans to be in the audience.

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Sandaine may be contacted at kerris@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2264. Follow her on Twitter @newsfromkerri.