KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — Colin Schauer has been a Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy for nearly four years, as reported by our news partner the Coeur d'Alene Press.
He knows why.
“I know it sounds a little corny, but I wanted to do something that helps the community, something that you can hang your hat on and tell your friends,” he said.
It’s turned out mostly as expected. He likes his job at the Kootenai County jail. He believes he is making a difference. He speaks highly of colleagues.
“That's what keeps me going every day. I work with literally some of the best people I've ever met in my life,” he said.
Then, there are the challenges of being a detention deputy: Monitoring hundreds of inmates in jail for a range of misdemeanors and felonies. Thursday’s KCSO booking summary report showed people arrested for driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, malicious injury to property, break up fights, burglary and first-degree attempted murder.
On any given day, that can mean deputies check on them, take care of paperwork for intakes and release, be sure they get lunch, exchange linens and have transportation to and from court or make a phone call to a lawyer.
“Essentially, it's the equivalent of patrol officer on the street, but in the jail,” said Lt. Kyle Hutchison.
Some in jail are not the nicest of people.
Schauer, who stands an imposing 6-5, has been spit on. Not long ago, an inmate tried to punch him.
He shrugs it off as something that comes with the territory.
“You see people in shapes and conditions that no one else sees,” Schauer said. “We deal with stuff that people only see in movies and stuff that you can't even think up.”
But being a detention deputy has its good days.
“It is something that you can be proud of,” he said.
Schauer tells a story of wearing his uniform when he goes to the store at lunchtime. It’s then the community lets him know he is appreciated.
“If you're in uniform everyone thanks you and shakes your hand,” he said. “Which is awesome. I know there's a lot of cities in this country that would not be the case.”
In need of more
The KCSO could use a few more people like Schauer.
It has 11 vacancies. It has 11 new hires, in training, so it's really down 22. A typical day shift would see two sergeants and 12 deputies on duty.
“We can't maintain those numbers because we just don't have enough people to run the four main shifts,” Hutchison said.
That puts stress on the jail, which is certified to hold 451 inmates and has 410.
The result is lot of overtime, 40 to 60 hours in two weeks isn’t uncommon, and high turnover as some look to move on to patrol deputies.
“We've been this short before in the past, and then we've been able to catch up. But then we always seem to slip back,” Hutchison said.
KCSO wants to change that.
It’s making a push to attract new detention deputies and build toward a staff of 82. It is hoping to highlight pay that starts at $20.71 an hour, with raises in year one, great benefits and a solid career path.
It has scheduled two open houses for interested applicants to see the inside of the Kootenai County jail. The first is 5 to 7 p.m. March 16 and the second is 9 to 11 a.m. March 26.
Hutchison hopes they can attract people who are curious, show them the facility, and give them a look at the life of a detention deputy.
“We believe that once people see what a jail really looks like, not what they see on TV, they'll realize that it's a place that they would want to work,” Hutchison said.
He said they hire people from age 18 to those who are perhaps older, retired from one job, looking for a second career. Retired military has been a good market for KCSO.
The process involves a background check.
“We do need people who have strong moral character, willing to work shift work, deal with some unpleasant things at times, but honestly work for a really good employer, good benefits package, and I've been here 17 years now,” he said.
Hutchison said the day-to-day of the job is not physically demanding, “but the potential of a fight or wrestling with an inmate does exist, so you do have to maintain physical fitness and then also pass an entry level physical fitness test.”
“There's days where I don't do much more than sit in a chair and type on a computer,” he said “And there's days where I'm up walking around a lot, taking care of inmates."
An inmate's view
Virgil Shifflet, 42, is an inmate at the jail. He said he’s been in and out of the jail for much of the past 25 years for offenses including possession of drugs, probation violation, robbery, aggravated battery and grand theft.
“I’ve been doing this a long time,” he said in an interview with The Press. “I can’t seem to stay out of trouble.”
Shifflet, whose nickname is “Tank,” has come to know some of the jail staff and appreciates what they do.
“For the most part, I get respect. There's a lot of new guys because there's a big turnaround with them,” he said. “But the guys that I've known for a long time, they're pretty respectful, for the most part, as far as I'm concerned, but I show them respect, so it's a give and take.”
“Respect goes a long way, man," he said.
He notices when deputies are working long hours and extra shifts.
“That's not good,” he said. “That puts them in a bad mood, too, because now they can't see their family, either. So they're kind of in our shoes at that point. Yeah, they're doing time, too.”
“It sucks for us when they're in bad moods, because they put us in bad moods," he continued. "If they're in a bad mood, it doesn't matter how good you're doing. Nobody wants to be around bad attitudes."
"We all have our own problems, but don't punish me just because you're in a bad mood because you had to work 14, 16, 20 hours or whatever the hell it is 'cause you guys are short-staffed.
“We don't give a damn about that. We're not short of inmates. That's what we're not," he said, laughing. "We've got job security for sure.”
Shifflet said he gets along well with deputies.
"These guys are cool. Don't get me wrong. There's never gonna be like a friendship where I'm gonna go have drinks with them."
But he referenced treating others as you would like to be treated.
"I guess it's in the Bible," he said.
Detention deputy's pride
Hutchison said jails by nature can be depressing, “because not everybody here is happy. It’s easy to get dragged down sometimes into that.”
But that’s where being surrounded by good people pulls them through.
“If I'm having a bad day, my team will help me up. We are a team who helps each other," he said. "We have a lot of fun. And we support each other.”
Schauer said no matter what kind of day he’s having, he tries to keep in mind that inmates are human.
“Anyone can mess up. Anyone can have a terrible day or whatever happens in their lives. But yeah, they're still human beings.”
He sees good in inmates and said, “you see true evil, too.”
Being a detention deputy takes a toll, Schauer said. For those considering it, he suggested they do some research and talk about it with family. He often unwinds by listening to positive podcasts on his drive home and leaning on co-workers for support.
“Being in law enforcement, whether it is patrol or in the jail, it does weigh on you,” he said.
But Schauer makes it clear it is honorable work and he is proud to work at the jail.
“It's something that you can make a difference. And it is something that you can tell your family and hang your hat on. It definitely is.”
The Coeur d'Alene Press is a KREM 2 news partner. For more from our news partner, click here.