Falls County Sheriff gives update on progress since taking office

FALLS COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — Falls County Sheriff Jason Campbell provided the community with an update on progress made since taking office nearly 11 months ago.

"We have created new capabilities, expanded existing capabilities, and mapped our route to professional, accountable law enforcement for Falls County," Sheriff Campbell said.

Jail Updates

• The Falls County Jail is now in compliance with state standards
• There is now a state-of-the-art Jail Management System (JMS) online, allowing the sheriff's office to enhance security while cutting costs by streamlining the booking, medical screening, and classification processes.
• Sheriff Campbell wanted to recognize the jail staff for their service:
  
  • Captain Jody Krumnow, Lt. Kristen Morales, and a staff of dedicated professionals.
  • "We continue to institute programs to give our inmates a way to be productive, give back to the community, and give them the tools to succeed when released," Sheriff Campbell said in a press release.

New Tools

• The sheriff's office has utilized a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. The CAD system allows for more efficient allocation of resources, faster response times, and supplies the command staff with an idea of what's going on in the county. The system also allows the sheriff's office to analyze all of the call metrics to make better decisions when it comes to the law enforcement needs of Falls County.
• The sheriff's office is now using the Sheriff App to communicate important information and alerts in real-time and increase safety and awareness across the community.

New Hires

• Tina Nicholas, a retired FBI analyst, who works in the newly formed Criminal Investigative Division (CID).
• Detective Michael Irving joins the CID and works with Nicholas and the Patrol Division to detect and disrupt criminal activity within Falls County.
• Jeremy Moehnke recently hired as Captain of the Patrol Division and will work to refine the unite to deliver faster response times and professional service to the county.
• Julie Mullins was hired as the new Dispatch Supervisor, coming to the agency with a wealth of experience that will enhance the dispatch department and communication ability.

Other Updates

• The Falls County Sheriff's Office has partnered with Chilton ISD to provide a full-time Deputy as a School Resource Officer, Cederia Taylor.
• The sheriff's office has partnered with the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen border security. The partnership has yielded $150,000 in grant money that will be used to help keep Falls County safe.
• A project to convert the storage building at the sheriff's office into office space, including interview rooms, patrol offices, a maintenance office, and a multi-use room for training and emergency operations, is almost complete. Funding for this project mostly came from proceeds from the sheriff's office equipment auction.
• The sheriff's office has forged new partnerships with The Office of Attorney General (OAG) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Taskforce, in addition to other state and federal agencies that the sheriff's office will cooperate with for the purposes of information sharing and crime-stopping.