On January 5th, 2015, Chief Deputy Jake Schultz of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office was recognized by Telmate, a San Francisco-based inmate communications provider, as their National Hero of the Month for the month of January. In a statement released by Telmate, they described Chief Deputy Schultz as an exceptional man whose true passion is to serve his community, both inside and outside its jail’s walls. He was formally recognized during a ceremony this morning at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Chief Deputy Jake Schultz has been a public servant for over 15 years. After a 5-year tenure with the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, he relocated to Utah in 2004 and joined the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Deputy Schultz has served in various roles in Housing, Booking, Investigations and SWAT. In 2008, he was appointed to his current position as Chief Deputy and assigned as the Jail Commander for the Purgatory Correctional Facility.
On top of his daily responsibilities, Chief Deputy Schultz instructs internally within his own agency as well as externally for other law enforcement and educational entities, including the Utah Sheriff’s Association, the Utah Jail Commander’s Association, the Arizona Detention Association and Dixie State University. Among his many accomplishments, Chief Deputy Schultz serves as the Corrections Coordinator for the Basic Corrections Officer Academy, which is offered through Dixie State University.
Since 2014, Chief Deputy Schultz has been using Telmate’s inmate communications technology to help accelerate the evolution of the County’s rehabilitative mission. According to Chief Deputy Schultz, Telmate has helped increase security, efficiency, and accountability in Washington County. Additionally, inmates at the Purgatory Correctional Facility now have expanded access to current events, internal and external media and literature and, most importantly, their loved ones. What’s more, the Telmate system adds an additional layer of inmate responsibility and independence. “These types of independent actions may seem trivial, but they can be pivotal to the rehabilitative process,” said Schultz.
In addition to his role as Chief Deputy, Schultz coaches several football and basketball teams. In all, he coaches and mentors over 70 kids ranging from age nine to age 14 as part of his youth sports program. Chief Deputy Schultz enjoys his role as a mentor and feels it is part of his responsibility to give back to the community. “It requires a significant commitment, but it is well worth the time,” Schultz said. He added, “At this age, it is about more than just sports, it is about teaching children responsibility, discipline and accountability. We don’t measure success by wins and losses, we measure success in the personal growth and development of each child, and, of course, the amount of fun we have along the way.”
When the local hero was asked what was his most important responsibility as Chief Deputy, Schultz replied that it’s “to never lose sight of the big picture, and to never forget who we truly serve.” He added, “I want to leave this career knowing that I had a positive impact on as many people’s lives as I could, whether they were staff, citizens or inmates.”