By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A deputy shortage within the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department has put the sheriff back on the road.
Sheriff Bill Puett has been pulling shifts, normally on the weekends, so his deputies can take a day off once in a while.
“If people see me out it’s not necessarily something catastrophic that’s happened, it’s just that we’re out trying to make sure we serve the citizens of the county the best we can,” Puett tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline.
Buchanan County is authorized for 80 deputies, but is 15 short. The county also has 30 workers at the jail, but it nine short.
Puett says he has to work shifts if deputies are to get time off.
“I just want to make sure that the community’s protected and safe and that we’re serving to the best of our ability and that we have an adequate staff to make sure we handle our responsibilities,” Puett says. “Eventually, we get full, then maybe they’ll put me back in the office and not let me out again, but right now we’re just trying to do what we can to help and make sure this community is served.”
Puett says the quarter-cent law enforcement sales tax on the August 3rd ballot will help fill the positions as well as add to his staff.