Franklin County Sheriff Concerned Staff Is Stretched Too Thin

Franklin County Commissioners want the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to assist in providing patrols for the new Hollywood Casino on the west side.

Sheriff Zach Scott said that he is concerned that his staff is stretched too thin, even without the added responsibility of the casino.

“I don’t have any staff, that’s the problem,” Scott said. “We don’t have any staff.”

Scott said that he recently lost 40 deputies, mostly through retirement.

According to Scott, he has been sounding an alarm with county commissioners for moths but is concerned that they are not
listening.

“I have to have them approve the funding, that’s their job,” Scott said.

Commissioner Paula Brooks said that her board has heard Scott’s concerns.

“We, of course, are very frugal with our dollars here in Franklin County,” Brooks said. “We want to keep our cost as low as
possible, but at the same time, it’s our No. 1 priority to keep the community safe.”

Several business owners surrounding the new casino, slated to open in October, said had mixed reactions in terms of safety and
security in the area.

Scott said that he hoped the commissioners would approve funding to both replace the 40 deputies he lost and for 20 new
deputies who would be responsible, in part, for patrolling the new casino.

He said that he was concerned that the new casino also would bring new crime to the area.

“Historically, we’ve had bank robberies, homicides, prostitution, we have a lot of different issues,” Scott said.

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