Morgan County Sheriff Ron Puckett has been in office a little more than 100 days and according to his department he’s made some big changes – with more coming down the pike.

Puckett shared an extensive list of the changes and improvements that have been made on his official administration page on Facebook.

“Here’s a quick look at some of the things we have been doing over these past 100 days,” the post reads.

“-promoted 14 existing deputies to fill the command staff

-increased our patrol division by 40 percent to have more deputies on the road and quicker response times

-transitioned dispatch to Morgan County 911 to create efficiencies and quicker response times

-updated and upgraded our computer infrastructure

-hired an accounting specialist to ensure fiscal responsibility of taxpayer funds

-hired a public information officer to have greater communication with the community

-recruited and hired four new deputies and multiple correction officers

-identified and sent two jail officers to the academy to become APOST certified, with two more going in June creating a pool for future deputy openings

-continued to discuss the mental health issue to show the ongoing need for mental health care resources

-reviewed existing accounts to ensure we are spending wisely, leading to multiple ongoing savings

-joined the Decatur-Morgan Chamber of Commerce to ensure we are available to serve the business community

-formed the Morgan County Sheriff’s Volunteers so that you can be involved in the sheriff’s office

-utilized NextDoor, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat to ensure we can communicate with you

-met Dog the Bounty Hunter’s crew and looked for the Easter Bunny

-spoke to you at civic clubs, school events, town halls, senior centers, in my office and more.

All this is in addition to patrolling our roads, making numerous narcotics arrests, serving civil papers, eviction notices, courthouse security, handling domestic disputes, welfare checks, locating stolen property, transporting inmates to court and prison and housing 600 inmates.

Website upgrades

Many people online and on social media outlets have noticed the absence of the digital database of those who are arrested and charged with crimes in Morgan County. Public information officer with the Sheriff’s Office Mike Swafford said the upgrades will be completed sometime within the next 30 days. In addition to the “more official” website, the department will introduce an interactive app that can be downloaded for free. According to Swafford, the new app will allow people to browse the online database of Morgan County arrest reports on their smartphone. The app, which is expected in 60-90 days, will also be used to send alerts to Morgan County residents. The new computer and email system will be an official .gov domain name and be more efficient and user friendly.

Swafford said the updating of the system, which includes patrol units, jail systems, records, hardware, vendors, internal and external connectivity, has been a major undertaking. As a fix to the absence of arrest records being published online, a Facebook post by the MCSO today said a temporary website will be up and running next week. Once the system updates are complete, arrest records will be posted online at www.morgacountysheriffal.gov.

“We understand any transition can be unsettling but can assure you once complete our technology infrastructure will allow us to serve you better,” the post read.