A union leader representing Ramsey County jail staff said the county's pick for interim sheriff dodged important questions about how he'll fix a staffing shortage at the facility.
Union steward Chad Lydon, who has worked in the jail since 2006, wrote the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners last month warning them that assaults on jail staff have jumped 80 percent over four years, supplies such as handcuffs are running low and that a computerized locking system that controls cell doors "frequently malfunctions," among several other concerns.
Commissioners interviewed and selected Ramsey County Sheriff Chief Deputy Jack Serier Tuesday as a replacement for former Sheriff Matt Bostrom, who left the post to lead a University of Oxford study on changing hiring practices to increase trust in police.
"The frustration is still there, because we didn't hear it — we didn't hear a plan of action," said Lydon, who was among about a dozen corrections officers who attended Serier's interview. "It's our lives on the line."
Commissioner Blake Huffman broached the subject, asking Serier how he would address staffing and safety issues to relieve officers' "angst."
"There's no magic bullet here," Serier said.
Serier said he would look at the jail's staffing plan and scheduling to see if personnel members are being scheduled strategically, examine the jail's overtime budget and look at opening more full-time positions without creating "budgetary burdens." Serier earlier said he prided himself on staying within or under budget.
Huffman said he was satisfied with Serier's answers about the jail. But corrections staff left the board meeting with little optimism that conditions would change. Shane Justen, a corrections officer, said he was "skeptical" of the solutions Serier outlined.
