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Marion County sheriff sounded the alarm over staffing shortage at jail nearly two years ago

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On Monday, Deputy John Durm was alone in a secured part of the jail with inmate Orlando Mitchell, who was accused of killing the mother of his child.

While alone, Mitchell overpowered Durm, strangled him, and took off in a transportation van.

Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal says there is a video of the entire incident, but did not specify if anyone was posted and watching security monitors when the attack happened.

Staffing issues have long plagued the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. In December 2021, a lack of funding and staff forced the department to stop providing jail transportation for police departments like Beech Grove, Speedway, and Lawrence.

In 2021, Forestal expressed his concerns in a statement to I-Team 8, acknowledging the staff

“The Marion County Sheriff’s Office has long reported critical staffing difficulties. The MSCO’s transition to the Community Justice Campus (doubled) the number of inmates for which we provide direct oversight,” Forestal said in a statement sent to I-Team 8 in 2021.

The sheriff’s office is also losing jail deputies to surrounding counties that pay more for less of a workload.

A first-year jail deputy in Marion County is paid $42,000, while Hamilton and Johnson Counties start their jail deputies at more than $60,000.

In spite of a sign-on bonus, staffing at the jail is still lagging.

“The deputies that walk into the jail every day are walking into a place where there are over 180 people charged with murder,” Forestal said.

The department provides court security for all 72 courts, supervises the 2,500 inmates in the jail, and monitors 1,800 sex offenders living in the county.