Allamakee Public Safety Task Committee discusses deficiencies of current jail and dispatch facility

by Bob Beach

The second meeting of the Allamakee Public Safety Task Committee was held Thursday, April 10 in the Community Room at Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank in Waukon. After reviewing and approving the minutes of the Committee's first meeting, the Committee voted unanimously to appoint former Waukon City Councilman John Ellingson as the Committee's chairperson.
Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick reminded the Committee that its task is not just to recommend solutions for deficiencies in the County's jail, but to consider the overall needs of emergency services personnel, which includes the Sheriff and his deputies, the dispatchers who also serve as jailers, the E-911 office and the Emergency Management Department. He pointed out that the deficiencies of the current facility affect not just the safety of inmates, but safety of the staff and the ability to conduct routine business.
As an example, he pointed out that there is no room in the current facility to conduct interviews of suspects and witnesses. In terms of office space, he said that the Sheriff's Department is simply out of room and that it is not currently possible to securely store inmate property and records.
With regard to the jail itself, Mellick told the Committee that currently, the State inspector is allowing the jail to continue to operate despite deficiencies in several areas, but that at some point, the State could very well close the jail. If that were to happen, Mellick said, the County would incur several additional costs to house inmates elsewhere, as well as transportation costs and lost patrol time as officers are tasked with transporting prisoners to other facilities.
Mellick said that the most serious deficiency in the current jail is an inability to separate inmates. He explained that in order to comply with the Prison Rape Elimination Act, prisoners must be interviewed and classified in order to determine what risks they may pose to other prisoners. He said that although those classifications are determined as required, the ability of jailers is limited by available space in the current facility. Mellick said that this deficiency exposes the County to liability if a prisoner would happen to be injured while in custody.
Mellick also said that he is concerned about the inability of the dispatcher/jailers to directly monitor inmates and that situations could arise when the dispatcher is unable to appropriately respond to a situation in the jail due to dispatch duties during an emergency outside of the jail, or vice versa.
The Committee discussed the possibility of remodeling the current facility, and Midwest Consultants President John Hansen explained that the fourth floor of the Allamakee County Courthouse simply does not have adequate square footage to meet the County's current needs. He said that an inmate analysis would be presented to the Committee at its next meeting, which would include specific square footage requirements as well as the costs of housing inmates outside of the county.
In terms of a "ballpark figure" for the cost of a new facility, Mellick said that he would like to see the cost kept under five million dollars. He noted that the Committee should also consider the costs of remodeling the fourth floor of the courthouse in order to make it usable for office and storage space once the jail has been moved elsewhere.
Former Waukon City Councilman Joe Cunningham said that while he shares everyone's concern about the price tag on the project, if the project is put off until later it could end up costing a lot more. His primary concern, he said, is keeping the citizens and visitors to Allamakee County safe. "It's also important to keep the people who keep us safe safe," he added.

The next meeting of the Allamakee Public Safety Task Committee was scheduled for Thursday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank in Waukon.