Chris Sharp recognized by the National Institute for Jail Operations
information released, photo: Director Chris Sharp, left, accepted the award last month at a conference in Chandler, Ariz.
Chris Sharp, director of the Chelan County Regional Justice Center, was honored recently by the National Institute for Jail Operations (NIJO) with the Dedication to Excellence Award.
Sharp, who has been with the county 24 years, was appointed by the Board of County Commissioners to director in April 2020. He received the award on June 12 in Chandler, Ariz., at the JailCon West Conference awards ceremony.
NIJO honored Sharp for those programs and policies he has instituted for the safety of the incarcerated and staff. Among those is the drug interdiction program, which includes a full-body scanner, mail scanner and a narcotics-detecting canine. Sharp also recently spearheaded the effort to install 12 medical sensors in individual holding cells that monitor breathing and heart rates, alerting staff to sudden fluctuations.
As director, Sharp increased nursing staff to provide around-the-clock coverage and has advocated for the health and well-being of his staff and the people for whom he is responsible.
“Director Sharp and his medical team are one of the first in the state to implement this type of medical monitoring,” a press release from NIJO states of the medical sensors. “He is dedicated to reducing the risk of harm for the jail population.”
