COVID-19 has changed the operating environment for a number of organizations. Environmental trends emerge in unexpected ways and prompt service utilization to change. The County is seeing public safety needs shift in recent weeks. Measures have been taken to reduce at-risk inmates and keep staff and inmates safe in anticipation of COVID-19 community spread.
Overall the total number of people in county jail has dropped. This is in large part to collaboration between the Sheriff, State’s Attorney, Sioux Falls Police Chief, and the Second Judicial Circuit working toward alternative arrangements for bond schedules. While jail numbers are lower, that does not mean the work load has been reduced. In certain circumstances, workloads have increased.
One of the trends impacting utilization of county resources is an increased number of domestic disturbance calls. As residents continue to socially distance themselves to slow the spread of COVID-19, they are staying home more, which has reduced the occurrence of certain types of crime. While staying home allows for additional family time, which is positive for many people, it also can exacerbate issues when families do not get along. This impacts law enforcement and 9-1-1 utilization.
A trend the Second Judicial Circuit of South Dakota has reported is an increase in the number of individuals not showing up for scheduled court appearances. Not appearing for trial is a violation of state law and can result in penalties for individuals. It also has an impact of pushing court dates further out into the future.
Jury trials are currently not taking place. When the time arrives for jury trials to start up again, there will be a backlog of trials that will require juries if plea deals are not reached earlier in the process. Court schedules becomes further impacted with an increased caseload when no-shows happen for court appearances now.
Enhanced technology use for 24/7 Sobriety allows remote tests to be conducted securely. If these arrangements were not made, individuals would be required to show up to the County campus twice a day to take a portable breath test. Urine analysis has transitioned to remotely monitored drug patches. Individuals come in once every one to two weeks to get patches switched.
While this article contains a partial list of trends and changes that have been adopted, it is important for citizens to know the public is being kept safe and stakeholders continue to innovate.
