Though a move to the new Mower County Jail and Justice Center is still more than half a year away, additional jailers may be hired soon so they have time to begin preparing for the change.

This will be the first of three phases planned to hire additional jailers for the jail and justice center. The first phase is set to begin in February with up to five jailers hired. Additional jailers could be hired in May and July to equal a total of about 15 to 17 new positions. A few additional jailers have already been hired, according to Mower County Coordinator Craig Oscarson.

The process of hiring the jailers could take four to eight weeks because such employees go through extensive background checks, Commissioner David Hillier said.

The new jailers will begin working at the current jail to be trained in on the systems there. Hiring new jailers before the jail and justice center opens leaves time for the new and current employees to receive training on how to operate in the new building.

“It’s really a training issue,” Oscarson said.

“It’s going to take a minimum of three months to train a new jailer,” he added. “And that training is going to involve learning how our current jail works — some of the main pieces of that will carry across the street and some of the nuances of the new jail.”

Current jailers will also need to be trained to operate in the new jail before the move. New and current jailers will also job shadow at a jail similar to the new jail to learn how that jail will operate.

By hiring in steps, the county won’t have to train all the new jailers at once. The new jailers will be paid about $15 an hour.