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Sheriff Lopez: Saratoga County jail at or near capacity; county requests special order, hires consultant to study options
Summary
Sheriff Lopez reported the county jail held 203 inmates with some cells out of service and said the county requested a special jail order to move inmates to other counties; staff have engaged a consultant to draft an RFP to study facility repairs or expansion.
Sheriff Lopez told the Saratoga County Public Safety Committee on July 1 that the county jail is operating at or near capacity and the county has taken short-term steps to create breathing room while studying longer-term solutions.
"We've got, currently, as of today, 203 inmates in our jail. Capacity is 220, but we have a few cells out of service that we're in the process of working on," Sheriff Lopez said, describing recent moves that included sending some inmates to Fulton County and requesting a special jail order from the State Commission of Corrections to allow transfers outside the county.
Lopez said a significant share of the population are state transfers or parolees awaiting hearings or processing, and the county has engaged state correction officials to review cases and transfer custody where appropriate. "Including the majority, I would say the majority of which are parolees, either awaiting a hearing," he said, noting the county has seen some movement after conversations with state officials.
Committee members asked whether the state transfers are a primary driver of peak population; the sheriff replied they contribute but are only one part of a longer trend. Lopez told the committee the jail is about 40 years old and county leaders have hired a consultant to develop an RFP to evaluate options that could include repairs, facility additions, or replacement. He said the consultant has been retained and a first meeting had not yet occurred.
The sheriff said the county is monitoring classification and safety concerns tied to high occupancy and will pursue both short-term operational fixes and a consultant-led study to inform capital planning. The committee thanked the sheriff for the update and indicated fiscal and facilities committees will continue to be involved in next steps.
