Public Safety Center Committee receives guidance from the State of Iowa's Chief Jail Inspector

by Bob Beach

The Allamakee County Public Safety Center Committee met Tuesday, May 13 with the State of Iowa's Chief Jail Inspector, Delbert Longley, who shared his concerns with the Committee about the County's current jail facility. His primary concern is the County's use of emergency dispatchers as jailers, calling the dual duty "a lawsuit waiting to happen."
Longley said that he does not have the authority to force any changes with regard to the use of dispatchers as jailers, but warned of situations where simultaneous emergencies in the jail and with patrol officers could have tragic consequences.
Longley said that the current jail has inadequate lighting, water and plumbing issues and inadequate heating and ventilation. He also said that the current jail has no exercise area that meets state standards - a minimum of 500 square feet and an 18-foot ceiling - though the County's current jail does not need to meet that requirement because it is grandfathered in.
Longley noted that there is currently public access to some areas of the current jail, such as the work release dormitory, the female dormitory, jail files and the booking area, shortcomings that he characterized as "a disaster waiting to happen." He also pointed out that prisoners are brought in through an unsecured area, which contributes to escape risk.
Longley also expressed concern that the current jail does not have enough room to separate different classifications of prisoners - males/females, felons/misdemeanants, juveniles/adults, etc.
When asked how long the County has before its jail is forced to close, Longley said that in his eight years as Chief Jail Inspector, he has only shut down one jail. He said that there are some things that could be done to "buy some time," but there is no long-term solution for the currently facility. Longley said that it would not be possible to bring the current facility into full compliance with current regulations and that the County would lose its grandfathered immunity from those regulations if any significant renovations were made to the current facility.
He said that as long as there is movement to address his concerns about the jail, he would continue to work with the County to keep the current jail open for as long as possible, though he speculated that it would take at least three years to construct and move in to a new facility.
As "food for thought" for the Committee, Longley said that he would be willing to provide a list of architects who have worked in the State of Iowa on jails, but he would not make any recommendations. He also suggested hiring a project manager in order to ensure that the project is completed on time and on budget. He added that in seeking to hire a project manager and architect, the committee should ask for references and a list of every project they have worked on for the last ten years.