KINGWOOD — Preston County could be hiring two more deputies in the coming weeks, according to Sheriff Jim Fields, who said two applicants have taken the Civil Service tests and he hopes to bring them on board soon.
Fields recently addressed the Preston County Commission, saying his department could no longer do transports due to budgetary and staffing concerns and will no longer be transporting those arrested to the regional jail system for any outside agencies.
“If the sheriff’s office is already conducting a transport to the regional jail and a seat is available in the transport vehicle, we’ll transport the outside agency’s arrest,” he said.
Fields said since Jan. 1, the sheriff’s department has done 217 transport runs. During the meeting, he asked the commission to change a half-time position in his department to a full-time position and to add another full time position.
“Safety is my big concern,” he told The Dominion Post. “Transport and court security officers have eight-hour shifts every weekday at the court house. When they come back in and transport, that takes them another three or four hours to get a mental patient transported. If they have to go to Huntington or Charleston, they sometimes get back in time to start work. I sometimes send two people, and if they are transporting a female I always send two. Hopefully, if the county commission can give me two more court officers, we will be back to being able to transport for everyone again.”
Fields also talked about the building repairs. He said the sheriff’s office still has mold in it and some open sewer lines were found in the basement.
“Hopefully we can remediate and get the sewer lines in the basement, the odor and the air circulation repaired soon,” he said. “The commission is working hard to get this done. [County Administrator Nathan Raybeck] is working hard with me to get it fixed. I hope we can seal off areas and do what needs to be done to get it repaired.”
Fields said he would not like to see the sheriff’s office moved to another location.
“This is a place everyone knows and can come into to get their concealed carry permits. If we moved it, it would just add to the confusion,” he said. “I’m satisfied the commission will get the building fixed for us. They had the foundation checked and it’s perfectly OK, but the fresh air intake needs to be addressed.”
Another item Fields discussed was the Community Watch Program. He said he is grateful for the information they provide to him and his deputies.
“It’s a good tool for us. If you live in a rural community, you know what should be there. If you have very little traffic and then every Wednesday night an influx of 25 cars begins coming in, and it happens every Wednesday, it’s something that needs looked into,” Fields said.
He said if anyone is interested in starting a community watch program, he and his deputies can help them get it set up.
“There have been lots of crimes solved over the years by people taking photos and reporting what they see,” Fields said. “We look at all of the calls we receive. We try to take the danger calls before the ones that aren’t as urgent,” he said. “We prioritize our calls by what they are about. We consider all calls as important to the person calling in. We don’t forget about the calls we receive. We just have to respond to the most serious ones first.”
Fields said his position is one he takes seriously.
“I’m happy to be here and pleased that the county commission had enough confidence in me to ask me to fill out this term,” Fields said. “I hope the public is pleased with the job I am doing. We can’t solve everyone’s problems but the hope is that we can solve the majority of them. I’ve tried hard to take care of both the public and my employees. That’s my goal.”
