COVINGTON - Kenton County's embattled Sheriff Bill Steenken has put all his deputies on day shift, eliminating the night shift that was organized to serve arrest warrants and court papers.
Even though the sheriff says those papers will be served at night as needed, a judge and prosecutor said the decision means the county's backlog of 9,000 unserved warrants will only worsen.
Sheriff Steenken said he eliminated the four-year-old second shift on Feb. 3 largely because circuit court judges ordered him late last year to station two deputies in their four courtrooms during all criminal hearings. Increasing staffing there forced him to shift everyone to working days, he said.
''When you have an order from four circuit court judges, you do it,'' the sheriff said Wednesday.
He insisted that his decision has not created a further backlog and said all papers are being served in a timely manner. And he said the change has pleased his employees.
''There's more harmony in the sheriff's office with this,'' he said.
However, other officials said starting all deputies at 8 a.m. and having no night shift will clog the legal system.
''That will be a big, big problem in terms of service of warrants and subpoenas because that's when you catch people,'' said Kenton County Attorney Garry Edmondson, who prosecutes misdemeanors.
The prosecutor said the sheriff's decision will negate some of the positive impact from efforts by the cities and county police to serve the older warrants.
''Certainly, it's problematic,'' said Judge Marty Sheehan, chief judge of the Kenton District Court. ''Anybody that works on that shift isn't going to be served.''
As for the sheriff's claim that circuit judges' increased security demands helped prompt the change, Judge Sheehan said, ''It shouldn't be an either/or situation. We need both to be done right.''
The Enquirer reported in December that there was no concerted effort to resolve Kenton County's backlog of unserved warrants, a duty that traditionally has fallen to the sheriff. The problem gained attention after Sandra Colston was murdered last spring in Fort Wright. She was shot by her husband, Donald, who at the time had a year-old arrest warrant out for him.
Since the reports, Sheriff Steenken has distanced himself from the warrants problem, saying his office should not be held solely accountable for the backlog. He has said that other departments should become involved in warrants service.
Kenton County and city departments have made more efforts in recent weeks to serve the outstanding warrants. Kenton County Police Chief Mike Browning helped organize the warrants database where scofflaws were organized by city, and updated lists were made available to law enforcement officers throughout the county each week.
Judge Sheehan has called a meeting for Monday afternoon during which he hopes to get police officers, judges, sheriff's deputies and others on the same page about warrants and juvenile pick-up orders.
''We were discussing the juvenile apprehension orders when all the rest of this started coming up,'' he said. ''I think it's best that we talk about them together, the entire warrant situation.''
Sheriff Steenken said he instituted the night shift in January 1993 at the request of his deputies. The sheriff runs a 30-member department with a $1.5 million annual budget.
He said those warrants can be served in the early morning or late afternoon as deputies come to and leave the office. Or if warrants and court papers must be served at night, a deputy could be assigned to work late.
Overtime isn't being paid in those situations because deputies are salaried employees and are not paid on an hourly basis, Sheriff Steenken said.
''He's not sought my opinion on that,'' said Mr. Edmondson, who by law provides legal advice to the sheriff.
He said he wants to talk to Sheriff Steenken about the way employees are paid. He declined to say whether he thinks what the sheriff said he is doing violates federal law.
Previous stories
Warrants backlog burgeons Feb. 8, 1997.
Searchers will have updated suspect list Jan. 15, 1997.
Chief organizes warrant search Jan. 5, 1997.
Kenton to focus on most wanted Dec. 26, 1996
Warrant backlog worse in Boone, Campbell Dec. 22, 1996
Kenton police chief proposes special unit Dec. 19, 1996
Sheriff pulls deputies off FBI team Dec. 18, 1996
Lawmakers want answer to unserved warrants Dec. 17, 1996
4,200 unserved warrants in Kenton County Dec. 15, 1996
