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Steamboat Springs — A plan to hire civilians to work in the Routt County Jail control tower has been nixed in favor of hiring new, fully trained jail deputies. Sheriff Gary Wall reversed his initial proposal and now says that hiring trained law enforcement officers will allow greater staffing flexibility.

In May, Wall presented the Routt County Board of Commissioners with a job description and pay scale for civilians to operate the control tower of the jail in lieu of more expensive deputies. At the time, Routt County Human Resources Director Chris Hensen estimated the move would save $6,656 a year.

Since that time, Wall has received a jail study from Lafayette-based firm Voorhis Associates and a blanket exemption from the county's hiring freeze that will allow him to hire jail deputies.

Results from the $10,000 study, which was commissioned to analyze staffing levels at the jail, have not been made public.

"We want to have more flexibility, and having a civilian-type person who's not trained in dealing with inmates doesn't give us that," Wall said.

The initial proposal to hire civilian staff for the jail stipulated that the civilians would never come in contact with the inmates but would oversee inmates from the glass-enclosed control tower in the center of the jail.

Control tower operators are charged with opening and closing doors throughout the jail and coordinating communication with deputies.

By hiring and training deputies, the jail employees will be able to move to different parts of the jail and respond to incidents as needed.

Commissioner Doug Monger said Wall discussed his decision with the commissioners.

Monger said the money potentially saved by hiring civilians instead of trained deputies was a secondary concern. The money is "not an issue if it's a safety issue," he said. "That's the second thought."

Commissioner Diane Mitsch Bush agreed that the monetary savings may not be worth the expense in safety and stress.

Wall said the money to hire the two deputies already was budgeted. Wall said his office is close to filling both of the jail positions, but training will take an additional three months.

The Sheriff's Office also will hire a replacement for outgoing jail Sgt. Mike Baumann, who retired last week after more than 18 years at the jail. Wall said he soon begin advertising to fill the sergeant position. There are two additional sergeants still working at the jail.

- To reach Zach Fridell, call 871-4208 or e-mail zfridell@steamboatpilot.com