MACON, Ga. — Mayor Lester Miller announced Monday afternoon that he plans to put $3 million into fixing the locks at the Bibb County jail, if the county commission approves it.
As previously reported, deputies claim the jail is unsafe because many of the cell doors do not properly lock. Davis noted inmates are jimmying the locks to get out of their cells.
Sheriff David Davis says the locks are mostly a problem in the old part of the jail, so about 300 cells. He says at any given time, 30-40% of the cell doors do not function properly.
“Public safety is not just protecting the public, it’s also protecting our good men and women that work at the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, and to me, that’s non-negotiable,” Miller said. “We’re not going to let money stand in the way of providing that protection to them or their families or our community as a whole. Part of what we’re saying today is we have to stand together, and today, we are standing together as one to say, 'We’re not going to put up with this.'”
Sheriff Davis says the locks affect how jailers can do their job.
"It has a problem of running the jail. As maintaining control and order when you have inmates you think you can lock back, but they're out wandering the cell block," Davis said.
"All we're saying today is the sheriff had requested this in a conversation he and I had for the last couple of months, and we have moved the timeline up because we feel like this is an urgent matter that requires direct attention," Miller said.
On top of the renovations, Sheriff Davis says he has called in the Department of Corrections’ CERT Team, or Correctional Emergency Response Team. Davis says the team will do shakedowns and help with training jailers.
Miller says he wants $500,000 to be put toward maintenance like mildew and mold problem mentioned in the 2021 grand jury report on the jail.
Davis also announced that they will begin to hire part-time jailers. They’re looking for people with previous experience in corrections. He says they are short-staffed inside the jail, but would not disclose how many deputies they need saying it’s a security issue to release.
You can stream the entire news conference on YouTube below:
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