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Council approves agreement with Jennings for short‑term inmate housing
Summary
Ferguson City Council approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to sign an agreement with the city of Jennings to house detainees short‑term, a move officials say will reduce officer out‑of‑service time and move the city away from a flat annual contract with Saint Anne.
The Ferguson City Council voted on March 18 to authorize the city manager to sign an agreement with the city of Jennings for inmate housing and video arraignment services, a change city officials said will reduce officer time off the street and lower costs compared with the city’s prior flat contract.
Why it matters: City staff and the police chief told the council that transporting arrestees to county intake can require officers to wait multiple hours; contracting with Jennings allows shorter processing and video conferencing with municipal court, reducing officer time out of service.
City Manager Hampton introduced the topic and Chief Troy Doyle explained the operational benefits, saying the Jennings agreement would allow officers to transport detainees to a closer facility and use video conferencing so a judge can see a defendant the next day. Chief Doyle said the change should shorten processing delays that occur when arresting officers must wait in county intake lines.
Cost and policy: Chief Doyle and city staff said the city previously paid a flat annual charge of roughly $50,000 for Saint Anne services; the Jennings contract will be on a per‑inmate‑day basis at a lower per‑use rate, which staff said should reduce annual costs unless the city significantly increases arrests held overnight. The chief also noted a change in the city’s handling of warrants and bonds: the city intends to limit holding nonviolent warrant defendants past 24 hours and to use video arraignments to process cases quickly, which could increase short overnight stays but reduce longer holds.
Council action: A motion to approve the agreement was moved and seconded during the meeting; the measure passed on roll call and the record shows council approval to authorize the city manager to execute the inmates‑housing agreement with Jennings.
Ending: Council members asked staff to monitor overnight utilization and cost impacts as the city implements the contract and adjusts warrant and bond practices.
