By Kate Hessling
The Huron Daily Tribune
UPPER THUMB, Mich. — In high school, Josh Loss was enrolled in the automotive program at the Huron Area Technical Center, learning skills he would take with him after graduating from Ubly and entering the workforce.
“That’s what I thought I wanted to do,” said Loss, a 26-year-old, who lives south of Ubly in Austin Township. “It actually kind of changed my senior year.”
That year, he talked to an uncle who is a corrections officer in a county outside of the Thumb. His experiences, combined with the fact that Loss likes to help people, got him interested in a career in law enforcement.
Loss still completed the automotive tech program, but upon graduating from high school in 2007, he focused on pursing a law enforcement career by studying at Delta College for a degree in criminal justice.
After he graduated from college, an opportunity to work part-time in the Huron County Jail became available. Even though he went to school to eventually work on road patrol, he looked at this part-time opening as a way to get his foot in the proverbial door.
“I started working here part-time in 2012, and when my year was just about (over) … they sent me to the corrections academy through Delta (College),” he explained.
It wasn’t long after he completed the academy that he was offered a full-time job in the Huron County Jail.
“I was happy,” said Loss, who hadn’t expected a full-time job opening would come to fruition so soon.
Having grown up in Huron County, the son of Katie and Walter Loss, Josh Loss was really interested in staying in the local area.
“I can’t see me moving to another state,” he said.
Though his duties and responsibilities have changed since he became full-time, there are a number of duties that he’s handled, including processing inmates into the jail and conducting cell inspections.
“You go in the cell and look for contraband or things the inmates aren’t supposed to have,” Loss explained. “Sometimes, they have a few more sheets or shirts — a few more things they aren’t supposed to have.”
When he was part-time, he worked with inmates who participated in the sheriff’s work crew program, which helps clean, paint, cut grass, rake leaves, etc. in the local community.
He also has done transports, where he would take an individual or inmate to a specific location from the local hospital or jail. He did the majority of that work while working part-time, though he still does it on a fill-in basis.
Other duties have included taking jail inmates over to the Huron County Courthouse and working as court security (a job that requires a lot of standing).
Report writing, which entails entering and typing reports in the Huron County Sheriff’s Office’s computer system also has been a part of the job.
Some of his favorite parts of the job are working the jail and doing transports. Report writing, on the other hand, can be tedious, even though it’s an important job.
A big part of his job is overseeing people who have been arrested and are awaiting trial, or have been sentenced to serve some time in the jail.
“Some of them are nervous because they don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said, in regard to those awaiting the outcome of their case.
The corrections officers do not develop a personal relationship with individuals who are incarcerated.
“But we do answer questions and inform them of any emergency situations pertaining to their family if we have been informed (of any emergency),” Loss stated.
For the most part, the inmates are pretty courteous, Loss said.
But there are times when that is not the case.
“You might have somebody come in, and they might be intoxicated … just saying stuff out of the blue, and then the next day, obviously, they’re like a normal human being. They didn’t mean anything, they’re apologetic, they’re sorry for their actions,” Loss said. “ … So you can’t really judge a person by the way they’re acting when they first come in.”
It’s times like that when Loss says you just need to take things with a grain of salt, and know that you’re going home at the end of the day.
“Sometimes, things can get stressful, but (the job) is rewarding (because you know you are serving the community).”
The year Loss became a full-time sheriff’s office employee brought other changes to his life. That year, he got married to his wife, Ashley, a nurse at Huron Medical Center. The pair have a 4-month old son, Grady.
When asked about what it’s like juggling work and family, Loss said it can be challenging.
“It’s kind of tough, actually, because we both work midnights, so when we work the same nights, it’s nice because we can carpool, but we have to find a babysitter,” he said.
But the couple’s fortunate to have family in the area that’s available to help out.
And, Loss said, the family would like to have more kids in the future.
When he’s not working, Loss enjoys watching sports and hunting, as well as spending time with friends and family.
As for his career with the sheriff’s office, Loss said he’s happy working in the jail, and he likes his fellow co-workers.
“I enjoy working with them,” he said. “I know if I have a question or need anything, they’ll be able to help me.”