The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has not restricted access to its office at 305 S. Main St., Ottawa, the sheriff’s public information officer said Monday.

Jerrod Fredricks, master deputy with the sheriff’s office, said the department has not changed its protocol regarding access to public areas of the sheriff’s office, including the lobby.

The Herald has fielded complaints that the sheriff’s office had started restricting public access to its building and/or public lobby in the wake of a Kansas Bureau of Investigation probe of the department. The investigation came to light Sept. 27 when KBI agents executed a search warrant at the sheriff’s office.

“We have not made any changes in our protocol,” Fredricks said. “Public areas are still open.”