Nash County Sheriff's Office asks for more staff at troubled jail
NASHVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Nash County Sheriff's Office proposed adding more staffing to the troubled jail during the Board of Commissioners meeting Monday.
That includes adding a major, whose only duty would be to oversee the Nash County Detention Facility, a lieutenant and three deputies.
It could cost more than $230,000 and would need to be approved as part of the new budget, implemented in July.
County Engineer Jonathan Boone highlighted improvements made after the state mandated they depopulate the jail and make repairs.
"Of those urgent items, there was 15 urgent items, all related to facility maintenance, you will recall from my report last month," Boone said. "Each of those items have been addressed."
Boone clarified later that only four of the 15 items were facility related. The remaining 11 items were operational in nature, Boone said, meaning they were the (i.e. were the responsibility of the sheriff's office to address.
REPORT ON DETENTION CENTER: See details, before/after photos (.pdf)
He showed pictures of fixes made to the dorms, isolation cells and fencing, after inmates escaped.
"There was a couple of exit signs -- also have been damaged in the facility," Boone said. "Those were replaced the next day."
But Maj. Miste Strickland said there are still problems.
"We are still in need of lockdown pods," Strickland said during the meeting. "We do not have any more lockdown cells than we did prior to moving inmates out. It is still a huge safety issue."
She said the repairs are creating other issues.
"Operations, again, we're working with a lot of outside contractors," Strickland said. "We're having a large amount of contractors working in the facility. This poses a safety issue."
The jail is closer to getting 55 additional surveillance cameras.
A contract has been signed with the company that will provide them.
Before making a decision on the future of the jail, County Commissioners are waiting on a report being conducted by a firm.
