Daviess County’s Art Maglinger has been named Jailer of the Year by the Kentucky Jailers Association. Maglinger has been a member of the board of directors and training coordinator of KJA for the past two years.
Maglinger noted that when his name was announced as the winner during the awards ceremony on Wednesday, he was immediately humbled.
“It’s a very, very humbling experience and I’m really thankful my family got to be there. It was somewhat of a surprise, but it was really special to have my dad with me,” Maglinger said.
According to Maglinger, the presenter noted he was chosen as Jailer of the Year for his commitment to development and leadership within the walls of the Daviess County Detention Center as well as his service on several boards, including the Mentor Kids Kentucky and Green River Area Down Syndrome Association, and his efforts at Bellevue Baptist.
Maglinger said involvement in his church and his faith continues to be the hallmark of his work in the community.
Oftentimes, he said, the world of jailing is a thankless job where other agencies often overshadow people. Instead of taking the award as his own, Maglinger turned the gratitude back to the community.
“I felt really compelled in my speech to address some of the deputies that were there that don’t have a rank. Most of the agencies are represented, so I just encouraged them that no matter if they feel undervalued or overshadowed, what they do has a lot of importance to the public safety of our community. It’s a very noble profession. I just asked them not to let anybody take that away and to keep on leading,” Maglinger said.
Within his work at DCDC, Magligner has led the charge of numerous programs for inmates and the community. This includes hosting a book drive in partnership with the Library, partnerships for food donations, gardening efforts, and their ongoing Re-Entry Success Program.
Maglinger said he sees a genuine improvement in the lives of DCDC inmates and staff through those programs, again crediting his team with making them successful.
“I’m proud of the work that we’ve done together,” he said. “My staff was there [Wednesday night]. I would not get very far without them, and I’d fail ultimately if I didn’t have them contributing and working hard as well.”
