BRIGHTON — A cap on the number of municipal inmates at the Adams County jail was repealed Monday by a county commission resolution.
The resolution, approved by all three commissioners without discussion, removes the limit on the number of municipal inmates towns and cities in Adams County can send to the jail, and the fees charged when the cap was exceeded.
“The most important thing about today’s decision is that the commissioners affirmed the importance of housing municipal inmates at the jail,” said Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates. “The cities have maintained all along that this is a core service.”
Earlier in the year, the cap was expected to increase to 60 from 30 with commissioners making allowances in the 2013 budget for the sheriff’s office to bring the jail up to “full staffing” levels, and also — a hiring strategy that anticipates vacancies before they occur and allows the department to have workers trained and ready to fill the jobs as they open.
The , sent a letter briefly presenting their recommendations to the board over the weekend.
According to the recommendations, the committee believes if the Sheriff’s office is allowed to increase staffing to allow for 1,255 beds, the jail staffing problems would be alleviated.
“It is thought with reasonable expectation, that staffing for 1,255 beds would provide all jurisdictions with more available jail beds,” states the letter, signed by committee chairman Judge C. Vincent Phelps.
Sheriff Doug Darr has said staffing cuts have forced him to reduce the number of available beds by 192 in recent years. It is not immediately clear how many additional deputies would be needed to staff the recommended 1,255 beds.
Before passing , the board amended the language to remove two mentions of the committee’s recommendation that the sheriff be allowed to restrict the acceptance of inmates in accordance with individual agreements or with the committee’s recommendations.
Yesenia Robles: 303-954-1372, yrobles@denverpost.com or twitter.com/yeseniarobles
