Jasper County Sheriff's office closed to the public

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office is closed to the public as of noon Monday, officials said in a press release.

The JCSO cites the local rise in the COVID-19 positivity rate in the county and the safety of the staff and of the incarcerated individuals as the reasons behind this decision.

“We do have the high rising cases and limiting access to our facility is a good way to help mitigate those cases from spreading,” Lt. Brad Shutts said. “The less contact the better.”

The normal, day-to-day operations of the sheriff’s office will continue when it applies to emergency services and jail operations. The closure primarily applies to the front office where the public can apply for gun permits and records requests. It also places limitations on what personal items can be brought into the jail.

Inmates' personal property from the public will not be accepted during this time except jail doctor approved medications. Staff will also not release any inmate property to the public until further notice.

A timeline for the closure is not known at this time. Shutts said reopening the office will likely happen when the case count has lowered to a level where it is safe to do so.

“We’re continuously meeting with public health and emergency management,” Shutts said. “We’re not going to say when the pandemic is over because who knows when that will be. We wish it was done tomorrow. We wish we didn’t have to do this and inconvenience the public.”

The health and safety of the staff and inmates played the biggest role in the decision. Since the Iowa Department of Corrections has released information about multiple prisons around the state reporting outbreaks, the JCSO wants to continue taking a safe approach to keeping the virus out of the facility.

“We’ve been fortunate here. We’ve really done our due diligence with all the cleaning and screening. We want to continue the success we’ve had,” Shutts said.

For those still needing to work with the JCSO through the civil office or the jail, certain services will still remain available to the public by phone or mail.

For gun permits, applications can be mailed to the sheriff’s office at 2300 Law Center Drive in Newton, or they may be placed in the civil office dropbox in the atrium lobby. JCSO must have the correct documents before paperwork on gun permits can be processed.

For new permits to carry weapons applications, the form can be found on the Jasper County webpage and completed. Applicants are required to include a photocopy of their driver’s license or state-issued ID, a photocopy of their training certificate or military DD-214 and a check for $50 made out to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office. Cash can’t be left in the dropbox or in the mail.

Contact the sheriff’s office for further information about gun permits.

For those needing to register for the Sex Offenders Registry, offenders may update their information over the phone. You must speak directly to a sheriff's civil officer staff member – do not leave a message. Call 641-841-1203 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The JSCO will still conduct random home checks on sex offenders during this time.

The sheriff’s office will continue to serve civil paperwork. Call the office staff with any questions.

Fingerprinting will not be done for the public during this time. For any jail related questions, call 641-791-7081.

Contact Pam Pratt at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or pampratt@newtondailynews.com