For sheriff’s office, covid caused hardships and challenges but ‘silver lining’ too

Proving the truth of the adage about every cloud having a silver lining, the Ozark County Sheriff's Department has come through a grueling extensive covid ordeal with a bounty of new technology, paid for with government funds distributed to ease hardships and challenges created by the pandemic.

The total value of the new equipment, provided through grants from several government agencies and departments, exceeds $1 million, said sheriff's office administrator Curtis Ledbetter, who has worked with Sheriff Cass Martin, Deputy Sgt. Seth Miller and evidence technician Robert Simpson to identify available grants and write successful applications for needed equipment. While the new technology came about as ways to reduce physical contact and protect sheriff's office personnel and inmates during a deadly pandemic, it continues to be of great benefit now that the greatest of the health dangers seem to have passed.

Many of the grants have come as state and local agencies have distributed funds appropriated by Congress in legislation such as the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). In one of the Ozark County Sheriff's Department's most successful rounds of grant applications, Martin, Ledbetter and Miller carefully followed instructions that other agencies ignored or misunderstood. The program encouraged Missouri law enforcement agencies to apply for up to $140,000 in grants for equipment on a list of pre-approved items. OCSD won the applications it submitted for that equipment. But many agencies failed to apply, or submitted incomplete applications, leaving about half of the available grant money unspent. So the state reopened the grant program for another $100,000-plus round of applications, and again, Ozark County won the applications it submitted. 

"They basically said, hey, some entities didn't even bother to apply so go ahead and resubmit your applications," Ledbetter said. "It basically doubled what we were able to get." 

A difficult time

While the sheriff and his co-workers celebrate OCSD's new, stepped-up technology and improved facilities, they can't forget the difficult time the sheriff's office endured during covid. With schools and businesses closed, county revenues fell and OCSD expenses skyrocketed as much as 30 percent due to inflation and the cost of extra work and materials needed for cleaning and sanitizing – procedures required to keep employees and inmates safe. 

Today, 17 employees work for the sheriff's department. During the worst of the covid times, however, two deputies had to be laid off, and some employees resigned, unable to tolerate the extra work and stressful conditions, Ledbetter said, adding that, in August 2022, "in one week, seven employees were suddenly gone."

Oh, and also, major leaks developed in the original flat roof of the 28-year-old building that houses the sheriff's office and jail on County Road 806 a mile or so west of the Gainesville square.

Acknowledging the difficulties the pandemic was causing to the Ozark County Sheriff's Department – and nearly every public and private facility across the country – federal, state and county governments stepped in to provide much-needed assistance. In Missouri, grant money has been distributed through agencies ranging from the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Health and Senior Services to the Department of Transportation. While some grants are made directly to the local offices and agencies such as the sheriff's department, other funds have been routed through the Ozark County Commission to be allocated where needed. 

Radios

For OCSD, one of the first grant programs provided $260,000 worth of new, digital radio equipment that brings Ozark County into the Missouri Statewide Interoperability Network (MOSWIN).The system is described on the Missouri Department of Public Safety website (dps.mo.gov) as "a network of communications towers, base stations, dispatch consoles and communications software with over 150 tower sites statewide interfacing with more than 55,000 radios used by more than 1,500 agencies for internal communications or as an interoperability platform with other users."

In other words, the network allows local, state and federal "response partners" to easily communicate with each other. The importance of such fast, direct communication among all levels of first responders was shown last month in Pennsylvania when local police weren't able to quickly connect with Secret Service agents at an outdoor rally where an assassination attempt was made against former President Donald Trump. 

Ledbetter said that, even though the approval of the grant for the radios happened last year and was one of the first grants the sheriff's office received during covid, various delays have occurred in getting the radio equipment installed and programmed by a Springfield-based communications service. It's hoped the work can be completed sometime this month. The grant includes mobile and portable radios plus portable repeaters for the sheriff's department plus handheld radios, a mobile unit and mobile repeater for each of Ozark County's 12 volunteer fire departments.

Now, Ledbetter said, in some situations, emergency responders sometimes have to resort to cell phones to talk with each other, if cell service is even available in the most remote areas. Or sheriff's office dispatchers have to relay communications among responders because direct radio connection isn't possible.

Body scanner 

Probably the most impressive – and most expensive – single piece of equipment that has been acquired by the Ozark County Sheriff's Department through recent grants is the Tek84 Intercept body scanner that aids OCSD personnel in booking suspects and inmates who are brought into the jail. The $141,000 device uses low-dose radiation ("equivalent to eating two baked potatoes or one banana," Ledbetter said) to see inside inmates' clothing and body cavities to identify contraband weapons or drugs. 

The images can even show stomach contents such as swallowed balloons or other small plastic packages of illegal drugs, he said. 

The scanner makes the booking process "much more humane," Ledbetter said, usually eliminating the need for more invasive strip searches. Employee training on the device is being completed now, and Ledbetter hopes it can go online this week, to be used on newly booked suspects as well as inmates who are returning to jail after having been transported to court, medical facilities or other sites.

OCSD is also equipped with a computerized fingerprinting equipment that eliminates the need for physical ink and digitizes fingerprints to make them part of the inmate's electronic record.

Computer equipment, software and 'smartboards'

Recent grants have also funded the purchase of 14 new computers, monitors and desk chairs for OCSD personnel, including Martin, Ledbetter, the department's seven deputies, plus jailers, dispatchers and the evidence technician.

Each deputy now has his or her own computer station in the updated basement of the jail as well as a mobile unit in each vehicle. In addition, the dispatcher stations' computers have updated mapping and 911 software that display information on six monitors. The setup shows dispatchers the location of the 911 caller and allows the dispatchers to easily share information with the sheriff and deputies and quickly connect with ambulance and volunteer VFD responders. 

 Another new piece of OCSD technology is a set of electronic "smartboards," 65-inch ''multi-collaboration" displays that let multiple users work together on a map or other project, including during emergencies. When fully implemented, the system might help coordinate responders' efforts for such things as lost river floaters or other individuals; a map on the smartboard could "cast" to computers to show responders the last known position of the missing persons. Or it will be able to quickly identify and share information about such things as road closures or expanding wildfires.

Dispatchers: The humans behind the technology

OCSD has updated a lot of its technology, including its phone system, which now answers calls to its non-emergency line (417-679-4633) with a recorded greeting that offers a menu of choices: press 1 for dispatch ("or just hold on"), 2 for the jail, 3 for civil process and 4 for concealed carry weapon permit information. Callers who dial 911 are connected directly to a dispatcher. 

These greetings aren't exactly loved by many callers, especially first-timers who have to listen to the whole menu before deciding which option to choose. But, said Ledbetter, nearly half of all OCSD calls are for the jail or are questions about civil process or CCW permits. The menu system saves the dispatchers from being tied up with non-emergency inquiries when another caller needs immediate help from a law-enforcement officer. 

While technology can make their jobs easier, OCSD dispatchers know that callers involved in an emergency need to hear the calm, reassuring voice of a "live human." Dispatch supervisor Krista Crisp, who has worked for the department nearly 15 years, said sometimes, when simultaneous calls are pouring in about a major accident or some other incident that generates multiple calls, dispatchers need extra resolve to work quickly without getting rattled. "Sometimes, it's one second at a time," she said. "Inside, you may be exploding, but you have to stay calm and focused."

She related a call that came in recently from a child using a game console to call 911. "I could hear the parents, screaming in the background," she said. "It's important to determine what you are hearing and what's going on. But in a lot of situations, you need to ask simple questions that can be answered yes or no." 

OCSD dispatchers are required to complete 40 hours of training during their first year on the job.  That training not only involves answering and redirecting calls but also in giving lifesaving instruction, such as CPR, when it's needed. And, increasingly, training involves learning how to use constantly advancing technology. 

Such was the case in another recent call, when a 9-year-old called 911 on a cell phone from the Devil's Backbone area of the Mark Twain National Forest east of Dora. The child had gone into the forest for a hike with her dad, but after what seemed like a short distance, she wanted to turn back. Assuming she could easily follow their route back to the trailhead, the dad let her go alone while he continued on the hike.

The child soon got lost but had the good sense to call 911 for help. The dispatcher, Amber Gibson, assisted by dispatcher Kelli Smith, could see her location on a map and, while reassuring the child, could then direct responders – and the child's mother – to a meet-up spot. Technology was essential in that case, but Amber's calm voice on the phone also played a key role in the rescue.

Other dispatchers whose voices callers might hear when they call the sheriff's office include Devon Jarvis, Jessica Hockett and Sarah Harris.

Fixes and failures

The sheriff's office now has a new metal peaked roof, which has stopped the leaks. The interior walls have gotten a new coat of bright white paint, and the dispatchers have been moved to the front of the building to make better use of the available space and give more separation between the sheriff's administrative offices and the jail. The new technology is being brought online, and, in general, the future looks bright . . . until Mother Nature interferes or the technology hits a glitch.

A month ago, an indirect lightning strike temporarily took down the phone lines and disabled the sheriff's department radios. Dispatchers were able to continue working under generator power, but the radios were disabled for awhile.

The OCSD's 199-foot-tall radio tower, standing beside the building, is vulnerable to lightning strikes, too, despite an extended grounding grid in the adjoining yard and driveway.  

And, as if lightning isn't a big-enough worry, right after the system recovered from the latest strike, a CrowdStrike software update failure on July 19 caused a worldwide disruption in computers running Microsoft Windows software – including the Ozark County Sheriff's Department.  

Again, OCSD employees worked around the malfunctions as best they could. The longest hardship was that inmates lost their ability to order commissary items because the computerized system remained down for a week, Ledbetter said. 

The sheriff and his staff

In addition to the dispatchers and Sheriff Cass Martin, the OCSD staff includes administrator Curtis Ledbetter, evidence technician Robert Simpson and deputies Jeffrey Lane, Gannan Moss, Vess Phelan, Hunter Ryan, Lt. Matt Rhoades, Sgt. Set Miller and canine officer Josh Sheran (plus canine Karo and semi-retired canine Rye). Keaton Jondle, Gavin Phelan and Dakota Rizz comprise the jail staff. Stephan Ator is a part-time deputy and bailiff, and Dan Israel is a part-time jailer/deputy.