County in early discussions for new or remodeled law enforcement center

By Chris Fortune

Buchanan County officials are looking to address future needs for space and updated infrastructure at the local jail.

The Buchanan County Commissioners are in the early stages of discussions about what to do with the nearly 40-year-old law enforcement center at 501 Faraon St. What started as a preliminary discussion to remodel the current building changed after the commissioners toured the building last week.

“There are a lot of problems with the design of the jail, or the structure,” Buchanan County Commissioner Scott Burnham said. “And so we’re looking at a couple of different options.”

The county is looking at options to remodel the current building, how they could repurpose the current building if they built a new facility and what each option could cost.

Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett said the current building was not constructed with future expansions or the inclusion of technology in mind. Puett said if a new facility was built, the current building could be used to hold juveniles.

Fifth Circuit chief juvenile officer Linda Meyer discussed the need for juvenile detention space with the commissioners earlier in the week.

“We only have six beds for (juvenile) detention, which is different than the Buchanan County Academy — BCA,” Burnham said. “The detention is right next to it, but it is for more severe crimes, and we only have six beds and we’re full.”

Burnham said Buchanan County regularly receives calls from surrounding counties looking for a place to send juveniles for detention.

“It’s been a huge struggle for a lot of counties and even us because when we’re full and we can’t take any more, then we got to outsource that to another county that does have a facility,” he said.

But the need for space goes beyond juveniles. When the law enforcement center opened, it was originally built for just over 100 adult inmates.

“We have gone in and double-bunked and doubled the capacity,” Puett said. “However, laundry, kitchen, security — all those issues within the facility were not designed for that.”

Burnham compared the decision to remodel the current law enforcement center or construct a new building to owning a 10-year-old car with engine issues. An owner could spend money to replace the engine or decide to buy a new vehicle.

“We know that we’re going to have to spend some money either way, whether we remodel this or if we look at the bigger picture and think more long-term,” he said.

Since the discussion around a new or updated law enforcement center is in its early phases, there is no timeline in place for its construction.

“There’s other people that we need to get around the table,” Burnham said. “Certainly, the city of St. Joe, we need to get involvement and feedback from them.”