Maylee focuses on finishing CALEA accreditation after winning Callaway County Sheriff primary
FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ)
Darryl Maylee's title is changing, slightly.
Maylee --who was first named acting Callaway County sheriff months ago -- won his election bid in the Republican Primary on Tuesday. He won the primary with a decisive 77.54% of the vote.
"The election process isn't a fun one. It's nerve-racking not just for me, but for my family and all the employees here," Maylee said.
Maylee is set to run unopposed in November, effectively securing his position as sheriff. He first started taking on sheriff duties after Clay Chism lost his peace officer’s license.
One of Maylee's top priorities is to focus on the accreditation process for both divisions of the sheriff's department through the Commission on Accreditation of Law enforcement Agencies. Maylee previously said the entire process takes about four years. The office went through a test assessment in July and will go through an assessment later this month.
"It shows the community that you're a professional organization, that all of your policies and everything are in line with the best practices of the business," Maylee said.
Once officially sworn in, Maylee plans to implement National Institute for Jail Operations standards for the Callaway County Jail.
"(For the) Jail, it's more case law specific type stuff, so it's been explained to me, its roughly about a quarter of the process of the CALEA Accreditation, Maylee said.
Maylee is optimistic the department will pass. Just 49 law enforcement agencies in Missouri -- including the Boone County Sheriff's Office and University of Missouri Police Department -- have CALEA accreditation, according to its database. The Columbia Police Department is
As sheriff, Maylee will have greater control over the budget, which is currently frozen at an annual $3.77 million due to a recently passed tax bill.
"We have 41 vehicles, and when gas is $3 or $4 a gallon, it's hard to budget for that," Maylee said. "You're going through anywhere from $12,000-to-$18,000 a month just in gasoline."
The budget also covers meals for inmates, medical supplies and staff. With rising equipment costs, the department has had to make choices.
"Ammunition has become so hard to get and so expensive, that we've had to cut back training to two times a year with a handgun and once a year with a rifle," Maylee said. "And then, you know, there's the specialty weapons like the beanbag, you know, shotguns, you know, stuff like that,"
