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| Marion County Jail Conditions Could Worsen With More Cops On Job |
| By WRTV TheIndyChannel.com |
| Published: 10/09/2001 |
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The city of Indianapolis is in the middle of a four-year program to put 200 more police officers on the street. But some officials are worried that hiring more police officers may worsen conditions at the already overcrowded Marion County Jail. Each day, some inmates who normally would remain behind bars are released so that new, presumably more dangerous suspects can be admitted, authorities said. The practice recently came under fire after an inmate facing drug and weapons charges was released on his own recognizance and while free, allegedly committed a murder. 'Is it good to have 200 more police officers? Absolutely,' Judge William Young said. 'But the problem is, when you put 200 more police officers on the street, what they do is what they do best -- they fight crime, they arrest offenders, and they put them in jail.' Attorneys at the Marion County Public Defender Agency also are worried. They said that they already are perilously close to violating caseload standards. Marion County prosecutor Scott Newman has similar concerns. 'I don't think it does much good to put more cops on the street if we can't make what they do count,' Newman said. 'And the way you make it count -- you put people in jail, and you keep them there, if that's what they deserve, if that's the threat they present.' Meanwhile, the Marion County Sheriff's Department is in the midst of trying to streamline the booking process in the city lockup so that more bed space would be available. The City-County Council also has approved the funds for 75 more beds at the jail annex. |
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