Sheriff Presents Jail Plan To County Board

9/20/17 – The Dodge County Board was presented last night with a plan to address facility needs at the old jail house. Built in 1959 and located at 141 North Main Street in Juneau, the structure is plagued with issues stemming from outdated video equipment, jail code problems, and rundown mechanical systems. Chief Deputy Sheriff Scott Smith says closing the building would mean lost revenue close to $3-million annually through immigration and custom holds form the U.S. Marshals. He says it would also displace about 108 beds back into the main jail. To help avoid closing the facility the Sheriff’s Office suggested a two-part plan. Part one includes constructing two new pods adjacent to the current jailhouse. Smith says the proposal would help bring all the housing into one building which would help with current safety inefficiencies. He says if there is an emergency in the old jail in order to reinforce the staff they have to run the quarter mile from the main jail to assist them. The preliminary cost for building the two new pods is $20.5-million. Part two would involve demolition of the old jailhouse to build a training, parking, and storage facility in its place. Smith says it would help eliminate the spots taking up by squad cars and other sheriff vehicles in the courthouse parking lot. Provide better options for training staff members and continue to offer a place to house recreational and SWAT equipment as well as their weapons and ammunitions. The preliminary price tag the space is $11.5-million. Smith says the Sheriff’s Office will continue to look for guidance and will support whatever decision the county board makes going forward. He says the goal is to bring back a more finalized plan in the summer of 2018.