Deaf Smith County has a brand new facility.

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The new facility is the Deaf Smith County Jail.   However, it isn't open or in use yet.

Let's talk about a little bit of history.

The original jail was opened in 1959.  It was expanded in 1974 and expanded again in 1986.  The old jail was still outfitted with the doors and bars that still roll.  This means with that system, you pick the cell doors you want to open, then grab a big roller that rotates a chain to open those selected doors.  Most modern jails use electronic doors.

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Right now the old facilities are not big enough to house the number of inmates that Deaf Smith County has and they are paying $45 to $75 per day to house the inmates elsewhere.

The new jail was supposed to be opened earlier in the year, but unfortunately due to several factors, it hasn't opened yet.

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According to Sheriff J. Dale Butler, the main issue is finding staff to work at the jail.  They have about 25 employees currently, but in order to open they need 45 employees.

How Can I Get Hired?

The process to get hired is quite extensive.  If you have anything over a traffic ticket on your record you cannot apply for 10 years.

According to Sheriff Butler, to apply there is a 30-page application, from the application they will have to speak to all your references and then follow up with other agencies you have worked at before.  Once that is finished you will then take an 800-question psychological test.  Once that is finished you will speak with a psychiatrist and once they sign off, you will then take a physical and a drug test.  If you pass all those, you will then be able to start your training.

Sheriff Butler said that starting off you have to get a temporary license then you go to the school and train to get your basic license. From the time you start, you'll start in probably the high $30ks and then you'll hit marks and once you get through your class and hit six months, do certain things,  you get a little bump, and then by the time you get your license and get through your training and off your probation period, you'll be around $45,000 per year, and that's not including the overtime.

Employment includes benefits, retirement, and uniform allowance.

Will they be hosting hiring events?

If you are interested in applying the Deaf Smith County Jail will be hosting a Job Fair.  The job fair will be on Friday, September 30th at the jail at the facilities at 3780 N. Progressive from 10 am - 2 pm.

They will also be at the Amarillo Job Fair on Tuesday, October 4th at the Amarillo Civic Center North Exhibit Hall from 10 am - 2 pm.

On Thursday, October 6th, you can find them at the WTAMU Career and Internship Expo at the First United Bank Center on the WTAMU Campus from 10 am - 2 PM.

You can also apply here.

25 Landmarks of Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle

The Somewhat Small Towns of the Texas Panhandle

Say what now? Somewhat small?

That's right. These are the towns that seem massive when compared to teensy weensie two-stoplight towns like Pringle (30) or Kerrick (25), but they're definitely not on the same level as cities like White Deer or Panhandle....much less Amarillo.

Buckle up! We've got a places to go and towns to see! These populations are well over 100, but way less than 1000.

All aboard the Somewhat Small Texas Panhandle Towns tour!

Can You Guess These Towns From Their Satellite Photos?

I'm always down for a good brain challenge. This one however got the best of me.
It's always a fun time looking up address or cities and seeing them from a satellite point of view. You start pointing out landmarks and things you recognize.

One thing you don't account for however is something looking bigger or smaller than you seemed to think it was. So we started grabbing a bunch of these satellite pictures of cities and towns around Amarillo.

As we looked at them, we thought to ourselves, "how fun would this be to actually have to GUESS what these places are?". So away we went.

Go ahead and try to see how many you can guess correctly!

 

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