JACKSON, Mich — "We still have the same need. We still have the same problems. None of that has gone away for us, Kathy Schmaltz, our State Rep, she recognizes that," says Jackson County Sheriff, Gary Schuette.
- Video shows Sheriff Gary Schuette, of Jackson County.
- Two millages, one in 2022 and one in 2024, to fund renovations for the Jackson County Jail have both been turned down by voters.
- According to Schuette, the Sheriff's Office asked for money from the State before the last millages, but did not receive anything.
- Now, the cost for those upgrades is being brought to the State level, by State Representative Kathy Schmaltz.
WATCH:
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office has seen two millages since 2022. Neighbors voted both down. Before those millages, the Sheriff's Office asked the State for funding, but did not receive any. Meanwhile, Schuette says the issues his department faces haven't gone away. "There's just a lot of structural issues with this facility that are not going to go away. They're going to continue to persist, and, frankly, they're going to get worse as time goes along. We need to make sure we do everything we can to get out ahead of this," he says.
Those issues, according to Schuette, being:
- Leaking sewers
- Overcrowding
- The inability to isolate inmates with specific needs (drug use, mental health, etc.)
- Structural issues
WATCH: Jackson County's Public Safety millage fails
To fix this, State Representative Kathy Schmaltz is proposing $54,462,520 of the State budget to go to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. Schuette says, "She also understands that we have to do something. We're doing everything we can to keep this jail moving." The money would pay for the plan that failed on the August ballot, to build a new jail at the Chanter Road facility. "We would be able to use (the Wesley Street facility) for the secure transport of inmates to and from court, and then we would move the entire jail operation to Chanter Road," explains Schuette.
A new facility, according to Schuette, would allow the Sheriff's Office to:
- Keep people who are arrested for a "cooling-off" period, reducing recidivism
- Help retain employees
- Eliminate the need to operate two facilities, cutting down on costs
- Benefit all local law enforcement
"Unfortunately, we look at this in our own backyard as just being the Sheriff's Office's problem," says Schuette. "The reality is, it's a problem for all law enforcement in this county. Having this is a huge step forward for a safer community." The proposal is now up to state lawmakers in Lansing.
WATCH: Jackson County Sheriff's Department navigates budget cuts
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