Lower jail population means continuing patrol
From our weekly issue dated March 19, 2008
With the expectation of budget cuts when the 2008-09 fiscal year begins July 1, Josephine County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) was prompted to begin early release of select jail inmates last week.
Sheriff Gil Gilbertson stated that the county is approaching an emergency, and called for further meetings including involved agencies to address lowering the jail cap based on established criteria.
Citing the need to cut some 26 positions, Gilbertson addressed the Josephine County Board of Commissioners Thursday, March 13. He advised that cuts in sheriff’s office personnel might necessarily mean lowering the maximum number of jail inmates and beginning the release of some inmates to maintain safe conditions in the jail.
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“Between now and July 1, I am trying to methodically pick and choose who we release,” Gilbertson told commissioners.
Currently, Gilbertson said, overtime at the jail is at 200 percent, and he’s been pulling people from patrol to run the jail.
“We can no longer do that,” Gilbertson said. “We need to look at the emergency release process in a collective meeting of those involved. There are liability issues that need to be addressed.”
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Citing an ordinance that requires the sheriff to defend the county against those who endanger the public peace or safety, Gilbertson insisted that the point requires maintaining patrol duties.
“Saving lives, protecting liberties and protecting property are functions that only patrol can do,” he said. “I would rather see a more robust patrol than worry about housing people.”
Board Chairman Dave Toler agreed that patrol is important. He stated that what he’d heard from county residents is a need to feel safe and have patrol on hand to respond to calls.
Toler pointed out that the in the board’s latest order regarding the jail capacity, the discretion is in the sheriff’s hands to bring the number of beds available in line with safe staffing levels.
“We’re going to operate the jail as safely as possible,” Gilbertson said.
“I want safety for the deputies and safety for the inmates, and I want some insulation from litigation,” he said. “So going through the established process is the prudent thing to do.”
As of March 17, the jail population was given as 132 inmates. Of those, 30 are federal prisoners, for whom the county receives a half-million dollars per year to house.
