Arrest surge, boarding put jail near capacity

Sheriff can’t explain increase in bookings but prosecutor says efforts to ease crowding elsewhere may be affecting Ozaukee
By 
DAN BENSON
Ozaukee Press staff

By DAN BENSON

Ozaukee Press staff

Thanks to more federal and state boarders and a surge in the number of bookings, the Ozaukee County Jail is near or at its operational capacity, Sheriff Christy Knowles told county supervisors last week.

“The capacity of the jail is at 80%. I like to keep the jail no more than 85% full so there is room for movement due to classifications, medical needs, mental health needs, disciplinary issues and other issues,” she said. “We need to be able to move inmates and we cannot do that if we are 100% full. However, we are at 85% capacity for male inmates.”

The jail has a total capacity of 262, so 85% of that would be 223. The current jail population was at 210 last week, she told members of the county Public Safety Committee last week.

“We currently have more space for females than males. Our mental health unit can take one more,” she said.

The number of inmates has increased as the weather has become warmer.

December and January saw an average of about 128 inmates per day. March and April averaged 152 inmates per day.

Those numbers include 37 inmates who have been placed there by the U.S. Marshall’s Services or by the state Department of Corrections.

The boarding program was revived late last year after it was shut down during the pandemic in early 2021.

“My goal was to house 30 boarders,” Knowles said.

The county is paid by the state and federal governments to house those inmates. Income in April totaled almost $60,000.

As of now, Knowles said she has no plans to cut back on the number of boarders.

“We are monitoring the population daily to make sure the inmate needs are being met,” she said. “If our county inmate population continues to rise then we will need to cut back on boarders.”

The main cause of the increase in the jail population is that local bookings have increased.

The number of bookings at the end of April was at 975, 28.7% more than at the end of April in 2023 when bookings totaled 759.

Knowles said she had “no explanation” for the surge.

“Deputies, as well as the officers from all jurisdictions, are arresting when it is warranted,” she said. “I have not looked at the data to see what the arrests have been for.”

Assistant District Attorney Ben Lindsay, who is the only declared candidate to succeed outgoing District Attorney Adam Gerol, said he thought a major contributing factor is the increasing habit of some judges in other counties to release more serious criminals on bail to ease populations in their jails.

“I’m just speaking anecdotally, but we’ve seen the negative impact here of de-emphasizing the importance of small violations,” he said.

“People get stopped here for speeding or an expired license and they assume it will just be a ticket,” he said. “But if they’re free on bail after being charged with a felony (in another county), that’s felony bail jumping,” which will land them in the Ozaukee County Jail.

That also helps explain the increasing number of high speed chases, as those out on bail will flee knowing they face a new felony charge if stopped, he said.

And once they are sent back to the originating court, they often are released again, Lindsay said.

“Barely a week goes by where the response of the system is to just release them again,” he said.

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Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

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