MACON, Ga. (AP) - The leader of middle Georgia’s largest county said Monday he wants to spend $3 million to replace some cell doors that inmates can force open, as the county seeks to reassure jailers of their safety after an inmate recently stabbed and killed a guard with the guard’s knife.
Macon-Bibb Mayor Lester Miller and Bibb County Sheriff David Davis said the money is already including in next year’s jail budget, but they hope to make it available sooner, if county commissioners approve.
As many as 300 cells in the oldest part of the jail have doors that can be jammed open, and Davis told local news outlets Monday that up to 40% are malfunctioning at any time.
Investigators say Bibb County Deputy Christopher Knight was stabbed to death by inmate Albert Booze last week while deputies were moving Booze to a different cell. The malfunctioning doors appear to have nothing to do with the death of Knight who will be buried Tuesday.
However, the stabbing has drawn attention to safety at the jail, whose oldest sections are 40 years old.
“There is no secret that there’s been some issues with the outdated and antiquated jail locks,” Miller said at a news conference. “There is no need to wait till budget time. We’re not gonna let money get in the way of public safety.”
Davis said he has called in the Georgia Department of Corrections emergency team to conduct shakedowns and help train jailers.
Miller said he also wants to spend an additional $500,000 on maintenance issues such as mold and mildew that was criticized earlier this year when grand jurors conducted their annual jail inspection.
Davis said in February that the county needs to consider a new jail. The sheriff said the county could save money if courts and the jail were located beside each other, eliminating the need to transport inmates.
The sheriff also said the county is hiring part-time jailers to increase staff. Davis’ office overall is about 100 deputies short of being fully staffed. The county earlier said it would raise pay and offer a signing bonus to new jailers.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.