Momentum – By: Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio – This has been an extraordinarily busy year for the Coos County Sheriff’s Office since I started my term one year ago today. The change in leadership shook the foundation of the Office, and we lost over 12 good people to other agencies and retirement. There was one pod open for a total bed count of 49 beds, and we were 7 Deputies away from opening another pod. Our patrol staffing was severely strained, reducing our ability on the road. At times, there has been just one deputy on duty for the entire county. At one point, we were forced to discuss limiting patrol hours, but those kinds of drastic actions were the last resort we wanted to avoid at all costs. Our Dispatch Center has been on emergency operations with staff working 12-hour shifts in order to maintain 24-hour services. Morale in the office was suffering as staff struggled to maintain a balance between work and home life through a myriad of overtime postings and work assignments. My command staff and I had a job of work ahead of us to bring about the vision that I had for our office. We worked on creating a positive culture in the office and listened to both citizens’ and staff thoughts and ideas. We also focused outwards towards the people we serve by creating a program which informs the public of the work we are doing. We created or maintained relationships with other agencies and other departments inside of the county so that we could better serve the public. We started a vigorous hiring and recruiting campaign so we could open our jail and do better at holding people accountable for their actions. Through the hard work of dedicated Office personnel, we have accomplished much, and I could not be prouder to be your Sheriff. Barring further loss, as of January, we will have hired the necessary personnel to open our jail to the number of beds for which we are currently budgeted 98 beds. My goal is to have that staff trained and have our jail fully open by April of 2024, if not sooner. We have certainly experienced and suffered from the limitation of space in the jail as well as legislative changes (like Senate Bill 48) to who is held, while every available cell has remained full throughout the year. We did welcome all agencies to bring any offender to the jail for booking. It is not a perfect solution, but at least suspects can be removed from the location of the crime and processed at the jail. And of course, if their crime is more egregious than other adults in custody lodged, maintaining them in custody until they could see a judge. While not yet fully staffed, we have hired personnel to our Dispatch Center and have seen success in hiring folks who have been trained and are experienced. I couldn’t possibly fully express how much I admire the dedication of each Dispatcher, and I hope they know how much I appreciate their efforts to ensure the voices of the citizens are heard. Our patrol division is nearly up to staff, and we have seen some excellent work done by our patrol deputies. We’ve put a huge priority on SCINT, who have been taking the offense against the panderers of poison in our county and continue to work towards decreasing the drug problem. We’ve seized and destroyed multiple pounds of methamphetamine, thousands of fentanyl pills, heroin, cocaine and investigated dealers and supply routes. Our multi-agency Emergency Response Team has seen a record number of callouts in the last year and has enjoyed successes in assisting with drug raids and arrests of dangerous individuals. We’ve created an analyst capability to track crime patterns and have plans to train several Deputies to combat human trafficking in the upcoming year. We’ve also been heavily involved in the planning of a sobering center for those who need a place to get some help through an intoxication crisis. This is a huge missing piece of the puzzle in making the streets less chaotic. I’ve identified an unused location in the jail that would be suitable for ADAPT to run a center. This past year has been dedicated to ensuring that my bosses, you, the public, receive regular updates as to the successes and failures we have experienced. Despite our best intentions, we have not been successful in every endeavor, and I have definitely been humbled in regards to how fast and how many initiatives we should try to make at one time. But we have been gaining momentum, and my hope is that we have been doing the work that our citizens want us to do. As we move into a new year, let us look forward and determine how to maintain the pace in keeping this forward momentum moving. We have done much, but we can do more. My staff has been working tirelessly to make the quality of life in Coos County better. We will continue to work in moving forward, however there are some hurdles. My hope is to increase our jail space to 150 beds. Coos County has not had that kind of space in our jail for several years, but the need is evident. The simple fact is that for too long, people have not been held accountable for their actions in the community. We need to ensure that folks who need to be held in custody are held and that there is a consequence to actions. Many citizens expressed a desire for the increased jail space. An increase in jail space would have a positive effect in all communities in Coos County. A few months back, Captain Sanborn wrote about the “Criminal Justice Ecosystem,” and in that article, he discussed community corrections. An increase in jail space would allow community corrections to better hold offenders accountable for their behavior within the community and, in turn, would allow for more rehabilitation programs. Our capacity for holding offenders would be increased so that we would no longer be releasing some individuals who should remain in custody. The District Attorney’s Office would have an additional tool to use to ensure crimes are prosecuted and that those people actually show up in court. It would require the hiring of another seven Deputies, but it’s a goal that’s not only attainable but absolutely worth working towards. In speaking with the Coos County District Attorney, I would like to support him in obtaining two additional attorneys to deal with the backlog of cases at the District Attorney’s Office. Even were his Office at full staff, the demands of prosecutable cases given to his DDAs far exceeds the hours in the day. With the addition of attorneys, we could see a streamlining of cases which would bring justice to defendants and victims of crime in a timely manner. This is my vision for Coos County, many of the folks I have talked to in the community share this vision and would like to see that happen. But as with everything else, this will cost money, which is the elephant in the room. No one, and I am included in this statement, likes taxes. However, the stark reality is that your Sheriff’s Office is funded through the receipt of taxes. We have done great work with the money allocated to our office. I work hard to be a good steward of your money and ensure it is used in a manner which ensures the best service which we can provide. I can only let you know what tools I need to get the job done. It will be up to the citizens to decide if the cost is a worthy expense, a question we will unfortunately have to ask on the May election. We are working on developing more information, and very soon I will have the numbers which will tell you all what this looks like and how we can accomplish this goal. But never doubt that regardless, this office will do everything it can to get the job done with whatever resources are available. My staff and I are here for you. The men and women who work at this office work nights, weekends and holidays to make our community better and that will never stop. In closing, I am proud of what we have done this past year. I am proud of our deputies, dispatch and support staff who give so much to making this community safe. I am proud of our community and I know that together, we can keep the momentum moving forward to make our home the place we want it to be. I will be out and about very soon to make myself available to discuss this with you. We have made some good progress this year, I look forward to keeping the momentum moving forward together.
