At the sheriff’s beck and call

One of the appointed positions within the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s office administration is that of matron. This individual, who always is a female, is at the beck and call of the sheriff.

Holding this title is Michelle Hyden, who was appointed shortly after Sheriff Jim Smith took office in 2023. Hyden, however, is no stranger to the law enforcement world.

She has been working with the sheriff’s office for 12 years. Hyden started out as a dispatcher, then moved into the administrative side where she served as clerk. That position morphed into a report coordinator, handling reports to state and federal agencies.

Now, as matron, “she is one who wears many hats,” said Smith, with Hyden adding, “jack of all trades, master of none.”

Hyden checks the payroll, which may include recording an officer’s time outside of regular hours as reported by division commanders or jail commanders. She also prints off any necessary forms for personal time or holiday time. “There are different forms, including overtime. I make sure things equal out,” she said. Once the paperwork is complete, it is up to her to get it to the appropriate office, including the auditor and human resources.

Another responsibility is keeping track of budget expenditures, so a title of financial administrator could also be added to her job description. She keeps a close eye on the office’s budget to make sure expenditures are on track.

Add to that she is the notary for inmates and is the sheriff’s office manager and handles tasks at the request of the sheriff.

“There’s not one specific thing I do,” Hyden said. She is still in the process of training her replacement regarding filing reports with other governmental agencies.

The matron is the point of contact for outside agencies to the sheriff’s office. She also is a secretary to the sheriff when he is not available and acts as the middle person. Ultimately, she directly reports to the sheriff.

Another aspect of her job is working with the jail’s food services department that reports directly to her. “They come to me if they need something, but they are self sufficient,” Hyden said.

“I’m almost like a personal assistant (to the sheriff),” Hyden said. She keeps track of meetings, presentations and other appointments the sheriff has. She also handles various calls on nights and weekends from various departments within the sheriff’s office.

Perhaps a big task is handling computer operations for the department and helping with IT issues when possible.