New Phila jail to remain closed after damage by inmate
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Dec. 11, 2024) – Beginning next year, the city police department will no longer house inmates.
Arrestees used to get locked up inside the police station until they sobered up, got transferred elsewhere, or made their initial court appearance. However, that stopped about a month ago when an inmate broke the security glass between the jail and dispatch area. Safety Director Greg Popham now says the space will remain closed permanently due to low staffing and liability concerns.
“The police chief talked to the sheriff, and there’s no problem with our people that are arrested going to the county jail. There’s no fee to that as long as they’re being cited under state code, so it’ll just be a little adjustment on the policemen here in town on how they have to conduct business.”
He also cites the recent influx of inmates requiring more intensive supervision and longer stays.
“It used to be that most of the people you were arresting were intoxicated. Eight hours later you could let them go. The majority of the prisoners that are in there now are having issues. A lot of them are like self-medicating also, which then creates a condition where the dispatcher has to monitor that person every 10 minutes.”
Popham says the city could spend $3,000 to replace the glass and reopen the jail, but there’s no money in the budget to staff it adequately.