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Pott. County officials discuss the need for a new jail

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September 6th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS — As the Pottawattamie County Jail nears capacity, officials are discussing a $27.6 million renovation. The Omaha World-Herald reports, according to Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker, the prison population at the jail, which has 288 beds, has reached roughly 270 inmates this summer. Of the 288 beds, 40 are set aside for female prisoners and several times this year, there have been more female inmates than available beds, which has led to some inmates being added to work-release programs.

While Danker, who has been Pottawattamie County sheriff for 23 years, said that the prison population rises and falls, the facility’s 2015 population has been much higher than recent years. Danker said a sudden influx of federal prisoners could fill every bed. In 1999 when the jail was built, Pottawattamie County officials agreed to house up to 75 federal prisoners. Currently, the jail houses approximately 40 for the federal government with no room for the other 35 inmates it is contractually obligated to shelter.

To alleviate the congestion, Danker in August proposed a jail and sheriff’s office renovation to the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors. The estimated cost for a 160-bed jail expansion is $25 million, while expansion of the administrative area is estimated at $2.6 million. The Sheriff said those costs are based on today’s estimates of construction costs, with architects estimating costs are rising at 8 percent annually.

Pottawattamie County Attorney Matthew Wilber told the paper there are several reasons the jail is near capacity. Wilber and Danker said housing inmates with mental health issues has become a problem. Danker said there is not enough space at mental health facilities to house or even evaluate inmates with mental health concerns. As troubled inmates wait, they wait in Council Bluffs.

And, as the county starts mental health court, the Fourth Judicial District may be ending drug court, which helped keep drug offenders out of jail. Because of a lack of funding from the state, drug court is slated to end on Oct. 1st. Another reason the jail is near capacity, according to Wilber, is that many people can’t afford to post bail and then must stay in jail until trial. He said most of the time local judges hand out government-mandated bail rates, and for many people, the rates are too high.

Along with starting discussions on a new jail, Danker has said that his staff has grown while office space has not. In 1999, the Sheriff’s Office had 46 employees on the uniform side. That number has grown to 63. Instead of having their own office to conduct investigations, Danker told the paper detectives are all in one room working in tight quarters.