PROVO BEEFS UP SECURITY

Concern about increasing numbers of inmates being transferred from the Utah County Jail to the courthouse has prompted the sheriff's department to beef up transportation security by one deputy.

"We've just got more inmates," Sheriff Dave Bateman said following Monday's County Commission meeting.Previously, jail supervisory staff assisted with transportation of inmates. Use of supervisory staff to help transport inmates, however, left the jail temporarily short-handed in its ability to monitor inmates, Bateman said.

To remedy the problem, he asked county commissioners to transfer $26,498 from the sheriff's "judicial" budget to the jail's budget. The funding will be used to pay the salary of a deputy transferred to the jail from the warrants division.

Commissioners on Monday granted preliminary approval to a resolution authorizing the transfer.