Jail plan draws tepid response

GAFFNEY The idea of a tri-county jail for Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties has received a lukewarm reception from officials in all three counties, but they say it is an idea worth considering.

The idea of a tri-county jail surfaced publicly for the first time earlier this week at a Cherokee County Council meeting. County Administrator Joey Preston, when suggesting ways for the county to come into compliance with state Corrections Department regulations, suggested such a facility might be the answer. Spartanburg County Administrator Ken Westmoreland said yesterday the idea is "not all that far-fetched" and it has been mentioned several times before. Westmoreland said a committee appointed to address Spartanburg County's jail needs raised the possibility at one time. "It was a consideration we had during early committee discussions," he said, "but we did not know how far along Cherokee and Union's needs were, so it was just glossed over."

Cherokee County's jail has been cited for overcrowding by the state Department of Corrections regularly for the past several years. Sheriff Joe Wallace said he has housed as many as 58 prisoners in the facility that has a legal capacity of 17. The state closed Union County's jail several years ago for security and health reasons. Since then, county prisoners have been held in the Union City Jail.

Preston said his suggestion was not a formal proposal. "I said we're going to have to start looking at different types of ideas," he said. He also suggested the formation of a joint city-county jail with the city of Gaffney. Westmoreland said the idea is "definitely worth looking into and should not be dismissed out of hand." He said his county's Jail Committee is almost ready to hire an architect and proceed with plans to build a new Spartanburg County Jail. But since Spartanburg County would probably have to buy land anyway, and a site in a remote area has been recommended, it would not disrupt the committee's work to consider the tri-county jail.

Union County Council Vice Chairman John Farr was more skeptical about the concept than Westmoreland. "It would certainly be worth thinking about, but it would require a lot more thinking on my part," Farr said. He said several potential problems immediately come to mind. If the facility were housed where the three counties converge in Pacolet, as Preston suggested, that would create tremendous transportation problems for Union County police, Farr said. Since Union currently operates a joint city-county facility, he wondered if the cities would be included in such a plan, and whether the three counties could cooperate to the extent needed for the venture to succeed.

Cherokee County Sheriff Wallace and Union City Police Chief Russell Roark also expressed concerns about the distance their officers would have to transport prisoners if the tri-county jail were located in Pacolet. Wallace said he'd rather see a joint city-county facility built with the city of Gaffney because it would take a deputy 45 minutes to drive to and from the jail each time an officer arrested anyone, if the facility were built in Pacolet. Roark said a drive of that distance would not make sense for prisoners arrested for minor offenses such as drunkenness, because they are usually released within a few hours of their arrest.

Westmoreland said some type of local holding facilities could offset the transportation problem, adding that it is premature to talk about a site for such a facility, since there are so many variables involved in choosing a location.

Charles Mathis, chairman of the Cherokee County Council's Finance Committee, expressed reservations about whether the three counties could work together amicably. "You have enough trouble getting a majority of one council to agree on things. Getting three councils to agree - I don't know if that will work," he said.

Preston acknowledged there would be obstacles to overcome if the tri-county idea were implemented, but said, "it is ridiculous for all three of our counties to be in the same situation and not be able to work together on something. I'm not saying do it, I'm just saying look at it. Consider it."