JAIL TALK MAKES A RETURN AT THE COUNTY
Platte County commissioners have hired a jail population consultant to update jail population trends and projections that were included in the consultant’s original study for the county in 2018-19.
On Monday, March 20 the county agreed to pay the consultant, Bill Garnos, an amount up to $970 to update his report with new trends and projections.
An agreement with Garnos states the update will “focus on key inmate population metrics over the past four years, including monthly and annual data on jail bookings, the average daily population and the high and low population range.”
Garnos’ update will examine the impact of the pandemic on the inmate population starting in March 2020, and “the extent to which the inmate population has since rebounded.”
The update will also include data on the number of inmates the county has had to board in jail facilities in other counties and the direct costs involved.
Dagmar Wood, first district commissioner, said the county sheriff has been “intermittently housing” prisoners in other counties. Wood said the county budgeted $300,000 this year for boarding some prisoners outside the county.
In 2019, the then county commission of Wood, John Elliott and Ron Schieber placed a new jail proposal on the ballot. The proposal called for a new half cent sales tax to fund a $65 million major jail expansion.
Wood was the most outspoken commissioner in support of that proposal. It was soundly rejected by voters, with 62% opposed to 38% in favor.
“After the failed proposal four years ago, I’m extremely hesitant to put another jail expansion back on the ballot and have indeed actively looked for ways to prolong that decision. I investigated the use of jail pods on our parking lots and possible partnerships with other entities and will continue to investigate all possible solutions,” Wood said at Monday’s meeting.
The current county jail, now 28 years old, has around 180 beds. The proposed 2019 addition would have added 200 beds for a total of 380.
Three weeks ahead of that 2019 vote the jail population was 164, and about 15 of those were prisoners from the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency to which, at that time, the county rented bed space.
On Monday of this week, Major Erik Holland of the sheriff’s department said the current jail population is 180. He said jail population tends to tick upward when the weather warms up.
Some reports do not indicate that crime rates in Platte County are trending upward. A recent annual report by Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd noted that his office actually prosecuted fewer felonies in 2022 than it had in 2021.
In recent conversations with The Landmark, officials with both the City of Platte City and City of Parkville indicated that crime is not increasing in their municipalities.
Scott Fricker, new presiding commissioner who took office Jan. 1, said on Monday that the jail population trends are “a complex issue” that shouldn’t be judged solely on felony crimes. He did not elaborate.
“It has been four years since the voters said no to building a new jail. Our county continues to grow. This time last year, the jail became dangerously full, and we had to move inmates to other jails. An update to the jail population projections will help us understand how urgently we must deal with this issue,” Joe Vanover, second district county commissioner.
“It would be great if people would stop breaking the law. But I’m afraid wishing the problem goes away will not be enough,” Vanover added.
County commissioners at a public forum during their 2019 jail tax campaign indicated Garnos’ study projected the county jail population to increase by 7.4 inmates per year.
In 2014, Wood served on a jail committee with several other members of the public.
“Our recommendation then was to expand into the ‘futures’ (basement) of the current facility, but unfortunately no action was taken,” Wood claimed this week, though a check of an audio recording of the county commission meeting at which Wood presented the jail committee report does not completely agree with her present day explanation of what the recommendation was from the committee.
At that commission meeting on Aug. 4, 2014, Wood–speaking on behalf of the jail committee–explained that committee members agreed there was no current need to justify the construction of a new jail or expanding facilities to house inmates.
At that 2014 meeting, Wood did say that “if county commissioners do wish to expand the basement area of the jail known as ‘futures,’ committee members unanimously recommend commissioners should engage the architects from Williams Spurgeon Kuhl & Freshnock (WSKF) to serve as an independent expert.”
The county commission in August of 2014 consisted of Jason Brown, Beverlee Roper and Duane Soper.