Allamakee County Sheriff outlines facility shortcomings that lead to need for new jail

by Bob Beach

Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick says that he was certainly aware of the shortcomings of the County's current jail facility within the Allamakee County Courthouse when he took office, but building a new jail was not a project he had been hoping to tackle during his first term. The recent closure of Makee Manor combined with the Board of Supervisors' efforts to free up office space at the courthouse changed that.
Mellick said that after the closure of Makee Manor, he was approached by the Board of Supervisors about the possibility of using the facility as a jail and offices for the Sheriff's Department. After drawing up some makeshift plans for renovating a portion of Makee Manor to accommodate a jail, Mellick consulted with the State of Iowa jail inspector and, with the Board's approval, hired a consultant to determine the feasibility of the project and to examine what the County's needs would be in terms of a jail for the next 75 to 100 years. Mellick said that the consultant's fee, $16,800, was paid out of a fund created from jail fees paid by inmates.
While the needs assessment portion of the jail study has not yet been completed, both the state jail inspector and the consultant agree that Makee Manor would not be a practical option for a new jail, as the renovations necessary to meet current state regulations would at least equal and possibly exceed the cost of building a new facility from scratch. "We can't just go out there and put up bars," Mellick said.
Mellick said that the remaining portion of the jail study will determine the County's current and future needs for a jail. He said that the County's current jail does not meet current state requirements but that it has been allowed to remain open because it has been "grandfathered" in. He added that while the current jail is not in immediate danger of being closed down by the state, the inspection reports the County is currently receiving are essentially the same reports jails in other jurisdictions received prior to being forced to close.
In addition, Mellick pointed out that even though the current jail has been allowed to remain open, the fact that it does not meet current regulations exposes the County to civil liability if something should happen to an inmate while in custody.

SAFETY CONCERNS
During a quick tour of the facility, Mellick pointed out a number of areas that create safety concerns for officers, Sheriff's Department employees and the public. For example, Mellick said that prisoners frequently must be moved through public areas, the primary example being when prisoners are initially brought in for booking, they must pass through an area that is open and accessible to the public. Initial booking procedures are also conducted in a public area, which also exposes the emergency dispatchers and their equipment to potential harm by unruly prisoners.
Within the jail itself, Mellick pointed out areas that create not only risks to jailers but create a potential for prisoners to escape. Because of the layout of the jail, direct supervision of prisoners is not possible - supervision must be done by way of security cameras, and because the jailers also serve as dispatchers for local law enforcement and emergency services, the feeds from those cameras can't be constantly monitored. In addition, situations that arise in the jail could potentially draw the dispatchers away from their radios and telephones.
Mellick said that the inmates the jail has been housing in recent years are more violent and dangerous than the current jail was designed to handle, partly due to methamphetamine. He added that the current jail was constructed in 1939 and that state laws are making small jails, like Allamakee County's, obsolete.

ROOM TO GROW
Apart from the jail itself, the Sheriff's Department's offices are just plain crowded - three deputies share one small office, a deputy and an investigator share an even smaller office and the Sheriff's personal office is not only not much larger than a closet, it is also located a fair distance from the dispatch area.
Storage has also become a problem, both for public records that must be maintained and for the increasing number of computers required for a modern emergency dispatch office. Mellick said that millions of dollars worth of equipment are crowded into areas that are not properly cooled and ventilated, which could result in expensive and potentially dangerous equipment breakdowns.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Mellick said that, depending on the conclusion of the jail study, a bond referendum could be presented to voters for the construction of a new jail within two years, but that decision would be up to the Board of Supervisors. He said that if Makee Manor were to be torn down, it could be used as a construction site, but an addition to the courthouse would be preferable. A joint project with the City of Waukon that could include its newly proposed fire station is also an option considered.
In the event that the referendum does not pass, the information in the completed jail study could be used at a later date. He added, however, that building costs would only increase the longer the project is put off and that the construction of a new facility would likely take four to six years to complete.