Steps to replace the Allamakee County jail move forward

By Brent Griffiths, The Gazette

WAUKON - Just one security camera separated an ambitious boyfriend from slipping contraband into a cell at the Allamakee County Jail. After climbing the stairs, all that was needed was a small maneuver to remain out of surveillance.

'He would climb up the back stairwell, and then belly crawl across the floor to avoid the security camera,” Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick said.

A flash on the security camera alerted dispatchers, but Mellick worries that the 1940s-era, repurposed jail poses a variety of risks to those who work or use it. It's an opinion a state official shares.

'Absolutely, that facility has a number of deficiencies,” said Delbert Longley, chief state jail inspector. The jail does not adequately address 'the safety needs of staff, of prisoners and of the community. It's an outdated, antiquated facility.”

A public committee was formed to address the situation. The approximately 25 members of the Allamakee Public Safety Center Task Committee commissioned an architect who will release an initial sketch as early as next week. Members, supervisors and the sheriff agree the jail on the fourth floor of the courthouse needs to be replaced.

Mellick said he wants to keep the cost near $4.6 million and would like to have a proposal on the ballot as soon as spring 2015. But until then, inmates, deputies and dispatchers will abide by outdated standards.

The facility is grandfathered in to most changes in state law, which allows it to remain open. Despite this exception, the sheriff and others readily admit the jail is woefully inadequate compared to its modern successors. The biggest risks come from safety concerns, which include instances such as the agile boyfriend. Along those lines, the sheriff pointed out numerous safety and facility issues during a tour of the with The Gazette.

Those include a lack of:

' Direct supervision. Modern jails allow guards to peer directly into cells in addition to cameras.

'New cells. The current 'Shawshank Redemption style” construction featuring metal bars makes it easier for inmates' suicide attempts.

'A secure booking room. Dispatchers and the public are forced to mix in what was once the sheriff's living quarters

'Interview space. A small holding cell is used when it is not in use.

'The ability to separate prisoners based on the severity of their alleged crimes, a federal and state requirement.

'More space to house evidence. Files containing medical and social security information are not adequately protected.

'Ability to properly handle people diagnosed with mental illnesses. Deputies have to take them to hospitals that may lack beds forcing them to travel to cities miles away.

'ADA compliance.

Another concern is that jailers and dispatchers are one in the same. This means dispatchers field 911 calls, while at the same time they must try to transfix their gaze on the bank of monitors with camera footage.

Mellick described what he said was a potentially dangerous situation when a dispatcher would be forced to leave the center to go to the bank of outer cells, which could potentially leave an emergency call unaddressed.

Inmates are at risk when it comes to bar-cell construction. Longley said he hasn't seen bars 'since the 1970s” and that their continued use amount to a 'suicide trap.” There have been suicide attempts, Mellick said, but quick action by dispatchers or alerts from fellow inmates have averted any complications.

The topic of constructing a new facility was not something Mellick planned to tackle in his first term. But when Makee Manor, a residential care facility, was closed in April 2013, the county considered repurposing the structure.

A feasibility study showed rehabbing the building was far from worth it, but demolishing it and utilizing the land for a new jail is under consideration. Board of Supervisors Chairman Larry Schellhammer said two other sites being studied include land adjacent to the courthouse and another parcel of land outside of Waukon.

There was discussion about housing inmates out-of-county, but an analysis illustrated that over time, it would cost more than a new facility. Mellick added losing the facility would affect the county's identity.

'A county courthouse is something that's unique to the county. It's your identity. A jail and a sheriff's office goes along with that,” he said. 'Do you really want to give those things up?”