YUMA COUNTY, Colo. — On Wednesday morning, the Yuma County Sheriff's Office (YCSO) posted a message from Sheriff Todd Combs.
"Due to being short-staffed, I have decided to suspend full-time operations at the Yuma County Jail," the message read in part. "I am unable to maintain a staff schedule that allows for a safe environment for the inmates or staff at this time."
The post adds that the office will send the county's inmates to another county's jail to be housed, and that they are currently in negotiations with other counties to provide the service.
"The sheriff's office will still be transporting inmates to their court appearances and when booked in after being arrested in the county to the other jail," the post reads. "This transition will be happening in the next few weeks."
9NEWS was able to reach Combs by phone Wednesday. While he was unable to share details of where the inmates could be sent to just yet, he explained more details on the makeup of staffing levels currently.
According to Combs, to operate the jail 24/7, it takes 11 filled positions, but right now, he estimates that he's "on par" to only have around five of those spots filled by next year.
Several factors contribute to the shortage, Combs said. They include some people finding other job opportunities, but the main issue he pointed out was the entry-level pay, which he described as $16 an hour.
Yuma County Commissioners approve the budget for the sheriff's office. When 9NEWS contacted their office by phone Wednesday, a staffer said the commissioners did not have a comment on the issue.
In 2018, 9NEWS reported on the YCSO scaling back jail operations "significantly" due to a staffing shortage.
At the time, the Yuma County sheriff was Chad Day, who said he did not plan to hire any more deputies, and would leave the task of hiring new deputies to his replacement, who is currently Combs.
Inmates during this specific situation were transported to neighboring Washington County.
Combs said the next steps for him include discussing the matter with commissioners.
In the meantime, those interested in working for the jail could reach out to the sheriff's office, Combs said.
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