Sheriff: Jailhouse coming back from previous problems

In February, officials from Hill County and the sheriff met to discuss the problematic situation of the Hill County Detention Center and are now seeing results.

The detention center staff was having a hard time getting employees to stay and an even more difficult time getting people to apply for the positions. Blaine County Sheriff’s Office was told to send their inmates elsewhere due to the Hill County Detention Center’s waning work force and inability to handle as many inmates as before.

Hill County Sheriff and Coroner Don Brostrom said the Hill County commissioners took a look around the state at other detention centers and decided to approve the local detention center for extra funding and extra staffing.

“Things are looking better,” Brostrom said. “I think we’re right at the point of being fully staffed.”

He said that the base pay line before the switch was $11.71 an hour. Now the starting salary is $15. The raise in starting wages also applied to those who were already employed.

The center was authorized to hire 10 people in February, but now they can hire 12.

He said it may take a while for them to get fully back up to speed at the detention center, as they have to train their new hires, who have to go through field training and get certified. The process takes months.

“We’re nearing the top of the hill,” Brostrom said.