Pierce hopes to retain post as sheriff
By John Joyce
Published in News on October 25, 2014 10:44 PM
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Larry Pierce
jjoyce@newsargus.com
It has been 10 months since Larry Pierce was asked to become Wayne County sheriff after the sudden passing of Carey Winders, the man who had occupied the job for the last 20 years.
Since that day, he hasn't had unlimited hours for campaigning. He has been busy, with the help of the men and women who work at the Sheriff's Office, putting away criminals around the county.
And now, with nearly a year under his belt, Pierce is asking Wayne County voters to make him their sheriff officially.
"I think the average citizen, if they read and listen to the news, they can tell that we have been working very hard for the citizens of Wayne County," he said. "I think if we can continue to do that, then I would ask that they vote for me."
Pierce planned to run for sheriff after Winders retired. He had in mind certain changes he would make should he win the office -- changes he has already begun implementing.
"Immediately we rearranged some of the shifts so that there are more people on the road patrolling during the prime hours at night. We took the warrant squad and changed their hours at night so that would add to our patrol division," he said.
Pierce said he cut the budget as soon as he stepped into office and was able to implement new programs for less cost to the county and its citizens.
"I was able to cut the budget from last year to this year and still provide the same service to our citizens. Also, I added a trash pickup program for inmates and those doing community service," he said.
Pierce said he did not want to wait to be elected to make the changes he recognized a need for once he was sworn in. Instead he got right to work.
"As I see things need to be done I just go ahead and do it. I just hit the ground running and implement what I feel is best," Pierce said.
One change still looming is a new jail.
Pierce said the project is not a matter of a want, but rather a critical need to provide additional space to house the inmates spilling over from the Wayne County Detention Center into neighboring counties.
And one of the main reasons is that those transfers are costing taxpayers big bucks, Pierce said.
"It is critical that we have the new jail. We have a jail that is not adequate to hold the prisoners we have currently. We are having to farm them out to other counties at a cost of approximately $1 million a year," he said.
In addition to being too small, the current jail is in disrepair and needs renovating to be able to maintain adequate security and safety for those it is intended to house, he added.
Overcrowding is not a local problem. It is a statewide issue that is only going to worsen over time, Pierce said.
As of Oct. 1, inmates convicted of misdemeanors who are sentenced to six months or more who used to be sent to the state facilities are now being held in county jails.
"It used to be if they got a sentence of six months or more they were sent to Department of Corrections. Now all misdemeanants are coming back to the county jails. Plus as of Feb. 1, 2015, all DWI offenders will stay in the county jail," he said.
The Wayne County Jail has a capacity of 200.
"And, if you categorize prisoners the way they need to be so the violent ones are not put with the nonviolent ones and things of that nature, you don't actually have that capacity of 200. Even then, we're over the 200 capacity at this point," Pierce said.
Occupancy runs from 200 to 230 on any given day. Plus there are more than 50 inmates that are out in other jails now the current jail cannot hold, he said.
"So if you add up all the inmates we have now, you would need a 300-bed facility and then there is no room for expansion. So at this point, we're hoping to expand for future growth. You hate to put it that way, it is just a statistical fact," he said.
Pierce said training has also been and will continue to be a top priority. Making sure county residents are protected and officers operate fairly, safely and efficiently are key to making that goal a reality.
"Some people like to see a law enforcement with more militarization and some like to see less. We try to walk a fine line," he said.
Pierce said his officers completed mandatory riot and active shooter response training over the last two months.
And most recently, lieutenants and above took a mandatory leadership course called Bulletproof Leadership Training. Pierce made the class available on a volunteer basis to his sergeants and corporals as well.
It is all about taking care of the residents the Sheriff's Office serves -- and doing it to the best of his and his deputies' ability, Pierce said.
"I think the citizens know and see that we have a very professional department," he said.