BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.—Several years ago as the county’s inmate population grew, the need for a larger jail was without question an absolute must. The county eventually built one; however, it’s been sitting dormant for
several years, but it’s not by choice. Sheriff Wayne Dewitt says his office currently lacks the manpower to run it.
Dewitt is hoping to change that. On Monday he made a plea to county council, requesting that they put in its next fiscal budget the hiring of 16 additional detention officers.
“It would reduce the risk in safety of our detention officers who are presently there now because of the amount of inmates and the territory they have to cover,” said Dewitt.
Currently, the average population of the jail hovers around 350. The sheriff says his current detention officers are already stretched thin.
“It’s almost like you’re being incarcerated over there yourself,” said Dewitt to council. “When I was first hired onto Berkeley County In 1974, if the sheriff then had put
me over at the jail and told me that would have been my permanent assignment, I probably would have packed my bags and left.”
Dewitt says his current officers are being asked to work long hours away from their family and friends without getting properly compensated for doing so.
“It puts a lot of stress on them, and it’s not an easy working environment I can tell you that,” Dewitt added.
Dewitt says the additional 16 officers would man the second floor of the jail and eventually he hoped to move into the third floor as well.
Captain Kevin Novack also spoke before county council. He ran the Charleston County Detention center for years before coming out of retirement and joining the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office. He says in one portion of the jail, about 75 inmates are housed yet it’s designed for only 24.
According to county councilman, Tim Callanan, when it comes to adequately funding the jail, the county “dropped the ball.”
“I don’t think anyone should be subject to that amount of pressure at work that you have to force overtime on them where every hour of overtime their pay rate is declining,” said Callanan. “That’s a situation that I wasn’t
aware of but ultimately it’s council and the administration’s responsibility to know that—and I certainly apologize.”
County councilman, Steve Davis, also supported the sheriff’s request for additional officers.
“Frustrations and emotions can flare pretty fast if a person is overworked and doesn’t have sufficient support staff,” said Davis. “I would urge this council to plan swiftly as possible to get these 16 correction officers on staff because I think it’s desperately needed. “
The cost to hire the extra officers would be more than $700,000.
Dewitt hopes that council will make a decision on his funding request before the start of the next fiscal year on July 1st.
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