Programs are not new

I read an article in the Bee last summer about how the Bonner County sheriff had created a garden on the jail site where produce could be raised by the inmates to help feed the jail population and the food banks. Just a few days ago I read another article where the sheriff had discovered a way to utilize inmate labor for community betterment.

She possibly got the idea from looking at the inmate labor bus that we set up in 1998 or realized she had a deputy assigned to oversee that program for many years. The inmate labor bus was built in 1997 and the program was operational in 1998. It was also done by deputies (and Sheriff Chip Roos) volunteering their time and talents, with the county paying only for materials used. I'm completely aware of the time frames because I served as undersheriff for Sheriff Chip Roos for 12 years while these projects, and many others, were created.

By the way, how are the community-supported K-9 unit and the vital Reserve unit doing? I don't believe that they are serving the community like they used to. They were thriving. They're not now.

NICK KRAGER

Priest River