County board member defends new jail plan

Ron Colson
Posted 10/20/17

Colson responds to another letter writer and argues in favor of current downtown facility proposal.

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County board member defends new jail plan

Posted

Dear Editor,
A recent guest editorial in area publications – by a highly intelligent community leader and major employer – brought up points developed from a viewpoint that didn’t have the benefit of access to the architects, engineers and law enforcement professionals that have worked in close cooperation for several years on the Ogle County Jail concept development.
Questions raised:
1: Outside detainees (federal and others). The writer references having a “secure” source of revenue. That doesn’t exist in the real world. The writer’s manufactured machinery and the county’s revenue-producing outside detainees are only successful by continued quality products (machinery) and services (detainee housing) bringing return business.
Fortunately the existing concept development produces a new jail that can handle up to 200 inmates with no increase in deputies (it will require one more janitorial person) over the current two-floor 109-bed jail.
2: Social services. Many, if not most, of the federal detainees are held for trial for charges that originated with “border crossing.” Rest assured that their fellow “border crossers” will not come within many miles of Ogle County at any time. Also, this is a jail not a prison. Detainees are held until trial, not to serve a sentence unless it is under one year. Count on the effect on social services to be zero.

3- Property Values. Property values are a valid concern, but not necessarily a reality. The current policy is designed to gives the adjoining homeowners a “comfort zone.” As circumstances evolve in the future, Ogle County will likely be the purchaser of those properties, at fair market value (when the property owner chooses to sell).
4- Legal issues. The potential legal cost of challenging the situation that has evolved from the forceful use of an obscure “supermajority” law is infinitesimal compared to the $1 to $2 Million increase in construction cost (landfill funds) and the $300,000 to $900,000 increase in annual operating cost (taxpayer funds) that can be avoided by closing Sixth St. Significantly, a traffic engineering study by Willett Hoffman Associates found that closing Sixth St. “would not place a burden on the adjacent streets.”
Suggestions:
1- Consider a plan for a smaller 100-125 bed jail. Ogle County already processes an average of 134 detainees daily with 109 beds for those that might be incarcerated for a period of time.
2- A smaller facility would cost substantially less to build… The lowest cost time to build capacity in any structure is in original construction. To build in the same size range we have already outgrown is not feasible. That would require “adding on” at a point in the future when construction would probably be taxpayer $ rather than landfill dollars.
3- The current internal transfer station at the Judicial Center could still be… The one vehicle sally port of the Judicial Center is currently a bottleneck and was just a bridge to the next step in development.
4- Consider rebuilding the jail in its current location. Quite apart from the asthetic considerations of the Courthouse Square, the cost of this suggestion would be astronomical.
5- In today’s violent world it is vital that we do all we can to protect law abiding citizens. And let’s add deputies to that list. As was illustrated in a recent drug gang trial in neighboring Stephenson County with death threats flying between the gangs – whether it is “springing” their gang member or assassinating their gang opponent – deputies in the remote jail – to – courthouse transport van(s) were exposed to the possibility of a fatal crossfire of military weapons. And those weapons are available “on the street” of any large city (two within 100 miles of Ogle County).
Secure internal hallways from jail to courtroom holding cell to courtroom and back to jail are the only safe, sane way to carry out this very necessary function.
Ron Colson
Mount Morris