Carroll County Sheriff Kenneth L. Tregoning wants to streamline his office and detention center operations, spruce up the image of deputies and correctional officers, and initiate competitive promotional exams for his staff.

Tregoning, who took command Dec. 7, outlined his accomplishments and plans during a 90-minute meeting with the county commissioners yesterday.

In whirlwind style, the sheriff held a minifashion show and presented a wish list of 31 items -- from repainting patrol cars to new belt buckles -- for the commissioners' approval.

The items are start-up costs that could be paid with money allocated for jobs that remain unfilled, Tregoning said.

The items would cost about $147,000, including about $28,000 to repaint and detail 22 vehicles. The cost would include redesigning decals that showcase the Carroll County seal within a star. The sheriff also wants to use the county seal on new patches for deputy uniforms.

"We are your ambassadors, and we want to raise the level of recognition for the county and the sheriff's office in a positive way," Tregoning told Commissioners Julia Walsh Gouge, Donald I. Dell and Robin Bartlett Frazier.

Tregoning told the commissioners he plans to increase revenue.

He said the anticipated housing of 16 inmates for the Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services would net the county $325,000 annually.

"We can do that without additional staff, once the new jail addition opens," said Tregoning, leaving open the possibility of housing more INS prisoners awaiting deportation.

Tregoning noted that plans are under way to collect as much as $123,000 in medical debts owed to the county by inmates who were held at the detention center.

His proposed reorganization would include promoting deputies and corrections staff through competitive examinations, the sheriff said.

Promotional exams benefit everyone because they help identify staff members who have a genuine interest in their careers, Tregoning said.

"It gets them back into the books and makes them smarter and, most important, it eliminates political favoritism," he said.

Future initiatives could include more training for deputies and correctional staff, hiring domestic violence investigators to interview victims, and better protection for deputies who serve protective-order papers, he said.

Alluding to Tregoning's let's-get-it-done management style, Warden Mason W. Waters told the commissioners he and his staff have been "very busy for the last 90 days."

Waters said improved screening procedures -- started about 30 days ago -- for work-release inmates have shown a marked improvement in preventing contraband from entering the county jail. The addition of a police dog to greet work-release inmates each evening should cut down on contraband.

Tregoning said Pennsylvania State Police have told him a police dog that scans returning inmates has eliminated 98 percent of contraband at a Pennsylvania facility.

"They can't fool the dog's nose," Tregoning said, noting that the dog was donated to the sheriff's department.

The fashion show took about 30 seconds as two inmates stood before the commissioners. One wore a worn, faded black-and-white striped uniform purchased about 13 months ago.

The other wore a bright orange one-piece jumpsuit without pockets or buttons, which is expected to last three times as long as the other uniform.

The uniforms cost the same, about $15 each, said Tregoning, who said he will replace the old uniforms as needed.

Pub Date: 3/11/99