Sedwick County is working on a budget that includes a focus on public safety.
Sedgwick County Manager Michael Scholes says the growth of Wichita’s police force will have a ripple effect on the county as well and will require more growth for their already cramped quarters.
“The Wichita Police Department’s growth you saw just yesterday in the city manager budget. They will be having more police on the force, technological needs, body cameras, etc, that comes with requirements and has a ripple effect through the whole judicial system,” said Scholes.
The plan is to build onto the jail and move the rest of the sheriff’s office into the expanded space allowing the district attorney’s office to move into the vacated space within 18 months.
“You know space is extremely important right now, we are at capacity as far as investigations, things are getting more and more hard to investigate, more technical, so we need more equipment,” he said.
The commission still needs to find a new home for its administration. Scholes says he hopes for that decision next year.
(Read more: KWCH News)