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Council and police weigh regional inmate hosting; chief proposes $200 per‑day cap and insurer funding
Summary
Chief Buchanan briefed council on draft agreements to host other municipalities’ detainees amid county capacity strains; he reported judges say $200/day is a realistic per‑diem and proposed allocating part of the fee toward umbrella insurance to cover jail liability; council asked staff to include Fulton County and SDS talks in negotiations and to model costs and liabilities further.
Chief Buchanan told the City Council that East Point has functioned, in effect, as a regional short‑term holding facility, and that an updated intergovernmental inmate agreement is necessary to set per‑diem rates, liability and operational rules.
Buchanan reported outreach to municipal judges and said, “the most they could pay is $200 a day,” identifying that figure as what partner jurisdictions could reasonably budget. To manage liability, he proposed allocating part of each per‑diem into an umbrella insurance program; the chief said his staff and human resources would work to structure a policy sized to the anticipated occupancy.
Council members raised concerns about the city’s exposure: misidentification of legal responsibility, potential medical and civil‑rights claims, and the city’s operational capacity (medical staff, transport and detention staffing). Several members urged bringing Fulton County into the discussions through the county’s Service Delivery Strategy (SDS) process and to seek county credit in loss allocations.
Staff said they will refine the draft intergovernmental agreement, model the financial and staffing implications, and return with recommended rates, insurance cost estimates and legal language. No agreement was approved at the work session; council members emphasized the need for explicit indemnities, clear vetting of inmates before transfer and documentation of expected costs before any commitment.
“By default we are it,” Chief Buchanan said, describing the practical regional pressure on southern Fulton County holding capacity.
