By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Kosciusko County has established a justice reinvestment advisory council.

Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Merit Board Secretary Tony Garza brought that up at the board’s meeting on Wednesday, April 13.

Garza, who’s on the newly formed advisory council, said the council needs a representative from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office. Since Kosciusko County Sheriff Kyle Dukes wasn’t at the meeting due to a prior commitment at Kosciusko County Work Release, KCSO Chief Deputy Shane Bucher said he would talk with him about getting a representative.

The advisory council consists of representatives from the Kosciusko County prosecutor’s office, Kosciusko County Probation Department and Kosciusko County public defenders, a mental health provider and a Kosciusko County judge with criminal jurisdiction, said Garza.

Garza explained that the council will study the county’s alternative sentencing programs like work release, the Jail Chemical Addiction Program and Kosciusko County Community Corrections to see how well they are working. The council had to be created due to a new state requirement.

Grants

The merit board also learned from Bucher that officers would soon be doing extra patrols to monitor school bus safety.

The KCSO has received a grant to pay for the extra patrols. Two other grants the office received are also purchasing new body armor vests and body cameras for officers.

The office is to get about 25-30 body cameras and 38-40 vests.

In other business, the board:

• Heard from KCSO Capt. Travis Marsh that office has received its new portable radios.
• Heard from Bucher as KCSO Jail Commander 1st Sgt. Shane Coney was also out at work release that 236 people were incarcerated in the Kosciusko County Jail as of the meeting.
• Heard from Kosciusko County Administrator Marsha McSherry that the jail showers are set to be refinished starting next week. She said they should be worked on about a week per block. Bucher explained that with the latest class of JCAP graduating on Thursday, April 14, that frees up space to move inmates in and out as the various blocks are being worked on.
• Heard from McSherry that progress is continuing to be made on the county’s new safety communications towers. Workers were drilling for the piers of one at Claypool this week.
• Heard from Bucher the KCSO has a new motorized bicycle for bike patrols.