Deputies spent 8,544 hours on inmate transports in 2013.
Most of those transports involve shuttling female inmates from Genesee County to jails in other counties that can house female prisoners (something the local jail was never designed to do).
Some of those transports involve taking inmates to and from court, and to and from doctor's appointments.
Those 8,544 hours equal more than 1,000 eight-hour shifts, or about 213 weeks of work for a deputy working five, eight-hour shifts a week.
In other words, the Genesee County Sheriff's Office is using the equivalent of four full-time deputies to move prisoners from one location to another.
Rather than spending their time out on road patrol fighting crime and assisting residents, deputies are stuck behind the wheel of a police cruiser driving on roads far from Genesee County.
Not coincidently, Sheriff Gary Maha is planning to request adding four new deputies to the department in 2016.
Members of the Legislature are asking if there isn't a better way.
Options were the topic of discussion during a budget session in the Old Courthouse on Wednesday.
With Undersheriff William Sheron, Jail Superintendent William Zipfel and Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble in attendance, legislators talked about whether it would be best to hire a part-time staff to transport inmates or try to expand teleconferencing for court appearances.
"We're looking for some middle ground where we might be able to get these deputies back to where they belong," said Ray Cinanfrini, chairman of the Legislature.
A few part-timers, who would have the flexibility to meet the demands of unpredictable transport needs, would cost less than hiring new full-time deputies, though no analysis has been done yet on the cost.
Sheron said the part-timers will still need to be sworn police officers, but their duties could be limited to transports.
At a previous meeting, legislators suggested hiring a private security company with bonded guards, but Sheron said the inmates need to remain under the custody of the Sheriff at all times for legal and liability reasons.
In an era of expanding technology, teleconferencing seems to be an option. Thanks to a state grant received two years ago, the jail already has a room set up for teleconferencing.
It's never been used.
Local courts have resisted the teleconferencing option, but Cianfrini said maybe it's time to start pushing local justices and defense attorneys to use the system.
Sheron said it would be helpful if all the local courts ended night court proceedings and scheduled all appearances during the day.
No decisions were made Wednesday.
As the current proposed 2015 county budget stands, property taxes would be reduced from $10.04 per thousand to $9.86.
Thanks to a state grant
Thanks to a state grant received two years ago, the jail already has a room set up for teleconferencing.
It's never been used................
Why would you have it if you never plan on using it...Use it...
Mark, did you miss the part
Mark, did you miss the part where it was the courts that resisted the use of this technology, not the Sheriff?
The technology works great if the court will allow it. I used it at Attica for inmates facing deportation. The federal immigration judges allowed it and liked it. It gave them better control over their schedule. And of course, the public was safer with the inmate behind the walls.
Mark wrote, "Why would you
Mark wrote, "Why would you have it if you never plan on using it"?
Nowhere did I read that 'they' NEVER planned on using it.
Also, from http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/news/article_c8164d89-fc6b-5d45-ae9a-… , it states "The defendant also has to agree to it, the undersheriff said."
I suppose it's possible that some (maybe many) defendants being held in other counties' jails might choose an occassional road trip to their 'home area', to be closer to family & friends while going through their ordeals. Of course, that's just a guess, on my part.
Personally, I can state, unequivocally (sp.), that, if I were charged with a crime that I wasn't guilty of, I would want to face my accusers face-to-face. Why? Because, if someone is gonna lie about something, they'd have to look at me while they're doing it -not just stare at a camera lens.
Let's call the lack of local
Let's call the lack of local female inmate housing capability what it is: a mistake that was made years ago and which continues to cost the county a lot of money on an ongoing basis. Genesee County had two good opportunities to replace or supplement its jail within the past couple dozen years - this work could have been rolled either into the courthouse project or the Sheriff's office/911 center project, but the need was ignored both times.
The cost to include a jail component into either of these past projects would have been just a fraction of today's price tag for a new jail, especially since our money's not worth half of what it was worth a short while ago.
How is it that practically every other rural county in our region faced roughly the same problem, did the same math and got a radically different answer than Genesee County?
At this point I'm not sure what the right answer is but I think it has to start by admitting the basic problem instead of complaining how much it's costing to ignore it.
Genesee Justice takes up the whole front portion of the building that houses the jail. Why can't Genesee Justice be moved elsewhere and the jail expanded into the remainder of its own building so that female housing capability can be added?
"Genesee Justice takes up the
"Genesee Justice takes up the whole front portion of the building that houses the jail. Why can't Genesee Justice be moved elsewhere and the jail expanded into the remainder of its own building so that female housing capability can be added?"
Lincoln, I was thinking the exact same thing. There is a need and a solution. GJ can easily be located elsewhere!
That's awesome. Job
That's awesome. Job creation.
We incarcerate a far higher percentage of our population than the rest of the world does. Far higher. There is a close runner up though. No, not Cuba, Russia or China. No, we lock up our citizens as well as North Korea does. Great job, USA!
"Sheron said it would be
"Sheron said it would be helpful if all the local courts ended night court proceedings and scheduled all appearances during the day."
I don't think he realizes that most town courts are presided over by a Justice of the Peace who has a day job.
Why not charge back to defendants part of, or all of, the cost associated with transporting them to and from court?
That should be part of their punishment.
The law says, under Miranda, you're entitled to a free attorney if you can't afford one. Not free transportation to courts, etc.
So, Raymond....if only free
So, Raymond....if only free legal assistance is required, but not free transportation, how about housing? Should the city start charging folks who are arrested for "housing" them in the jail? Would that be a daily fee, or should they charge hourly so that they can still collect from folks who can afford bail (or even those released with charges dropped)?
I don't quite understand how
I don't quite understand how the time of day a court appearance is scheduled has to do with not teleconferencing. I'm also interested in knowing why a prisoner has to remain in the County Sheriff's custody all the time. It doesn't make any sense why a person couldn't be transferred to a private firm for the transporting and then brought back. They would have to assume liability. A contractor should be bonded, sworn and prove they have proper training. Union rules?
I agree with Ed, " I would
I agree with Ed, " I would want to face my accusers face-to-face".
I like Ray's suggestion of charging the prisoner for the cost of incarceration [upon being proven guilty of course]. The problem is too many law breakers don't have jobs, incomes, or any wealth and would never be able to pay back. So then what? Not paying back would be another crime that would end up in another jail time... and on it goes. Bring back the chain gangs!
Most of the time when an
Most of the time when an prisoner is going to court, it is not to "face his accuser". It is to talk about the charges, trail dates, plea offers or other motions being made by the attorneys. All of that can be done by teleconference.
I don't think handing
I don't think handing handcuffed females over to private citizens is a good idea. Private companies exist to make money. They only lowball enough to save us $1 and get the contract. Then the existing infrastructure fades away so they raise prices. Only kept in check by other inflated competitors, but still more expensive than solving the original problem.
Alvin, you don't think the
Alvin, you don't think the cost of having government employees has gotten out of control?
Absolutely, Its just that in
Absolutely, Its just that in this particular instance I think arranging in county housing for female inmates is more cost effective.
I see your point Alvin and I
I see your point Alvin and I also would point out that the cost overruns and nonsensical requirements that are involved in building a government structure any more will be exorbitant. Unfortunately, all the options are bad. Except for one, reduce the amount of laws, remove mandatory minimum sentences and allow judges and community groups to decide appropriate action based more on reparation than punishment. Oh yeah, remove the prohibitions on drug use. Then we would probably have a big enough jail.
Dave I honestly don't
Dave I honestly don't understand why judges need any more than a pine table. Most government should share one large steel paneled building. Low cost for construction, repair and maintenance. One large structure greatly reduces the sum total of exterior walls. Energy efficient would be a huge understatement.
Every aspect of a one location structure, would save taxpayers money. Consolidation of services for maintenance and daily operations. Bulk purchasing would reduce product and shipping cost. The savings would be astronomical. Never thought I would write that sentence when referring to the government.
And no they don't have to paint all gray. One or two colors would be ok but no more than that. Every time the painter has to cut in a new color that raises the labor cost.
I couldn't agree with you
I couldn't agree with you more, Alvin. I like the way you think!