In July of 2011, the Adair County Board of Jail Visitors was impaneled to examine the effectiveness and economical administration, cleanliness, discipline, and comfort of the inmates at the Adair County Detention Center.
Sheriff Hardwick approached Judge Russell Steele and requested that the Board be impaneled per the authority of Chapter 221 of the Missouri State Statutes. The Sheriff wished to have a non-partisan citizen’s review board examine his operation of the Sheriff’s Office, especially the Detention Center, in order to gain any insight to improvements that could be made.
It is important to realize that well over half of the Sheriff’s Office budget is needed to operate the Detention Center in a manner that is compliant with State and Federal laws and regulations.
The Board members, per statute, were approved by Judge Steele and were:
- Andy Grimm-Democrat
- Rick Steele-Democrat
- Jerry Caldwell-Democrat (July 2011-January 2012)
- Matt Eichor-Democrat (completed Caldwell’s term, February 2012-July 2012)
- Carolyn Chrisman-Republican
- Kathy Roberts-Republican
- Becky Osborn-Republican
The Board met twelve (12) times from July 2011 to July 2012. They toured/inspected the Detention Center every three (3) months during their tenure. They focused on the following areas of interest:
- Finances/Budget
- Safety
- Grievances
In addition, the Board also met with the County Commission to discuss Detention Center issues.
The Board published a mid-term and final Summary of Findings and Observations which are viewable through the below links.
In its final summary, the Board provided the below overall opinion of the Adair County Law Enforcement Center.
- ”Following a year of meetings and careful scrutiny of the jail and its operations, the Adair County Board of Jail Visitors finds the Adair County Law Enforcement Center to be a well-maintained and efficient institution. The staff always presented themselves in a professional way, answered all questions, and produced the documents asked for by the Board. Many updates in security and inmate care have been noted and the Board deems taxpayer money is being spent in an effective and efficient manner. The Board hopes the memorial will be acted upon in the future to ensure continued effective economical administration of the jail.”