Sheriff Jesse Thomas and Sgt. Paul LaRoche spoke about the makeup/structure of the Rice County Sheriff's Office, its divisions, staffing, equipment/vehicles and types of calls it responds to. They also spoke about the Public Safety Center, currently under construction just off Hwy. 3 on the northern edge of Faribault near 30th Street. About half the 83,000 square-feet center will house a new, 76-bed jail that will meet Minnesota Department of Corrections standards. The current facility has little space for detainee recreation and programming, reasons the DOC notified the county it will downgrade the jail's classification, restricting its ability to hold detainees for longer than 90 days. That, in turn, would cost the county both in man hours and out-of-county housing, and fails to adequately serve people who will someday be back in the community The PSC will also feature an adjacent 20,000 square-foot storage/training facility. This will allow all RCSO vehicles to be onsite, allowing a quicker response. The Board of Commissioners approved the project in 2021 and bids were OK'd this past summer. Groundbreaking was held in early August. Completion is anticipated in fall 2024. While the PSC is an expensive project, Thomas assured Rotarians that there will be room for additional staff in the facility, and said he has included amenities that will reduce costs where possible. That includes on-site training and equipment storage, and K-9 housing when their partner officers are on vacation. |
