Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt outlines changes at Milwaukee County Jail

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Milwaukee County Jail is in for some changes. Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt has just announced his plan to transform the jail.

Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt called inmate deaths and issues in the jail the "elephant in the room" that he wants to talk about-- and let people know what changes he's made since taking the job 4 months ago

Sheriff Schmidt says he has entirely new leadership.

Staffing is up 19% cutting back the amount of overtime correction officers have to work. He's working with the national institute of corrections, the Milwaukee County Justice Council, and other community groups to make sure inmates needs are met.

The Sheriff says a big challenge is the medical issues inmates face-- largely due to the opioid crisis. To help corrections officers, The Sheriff assigned six sworn officers to the jail, a move he called unusual.

"That's a huge amount of resource I've put into the jail...you the people have demanded it and that's exactly what they're gonna get," The Sheriff said.

Sheriff Schmidt is a finalist for the permanent job as Milwaukee County Sheriff but says he does not know when The Governor will make a final decision.