Sandy Springs Inmates Will Be Housed By Smyrna PD

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — The Sandy Springs City Council last week approved an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Smyrna to house and transport prisoners from Sandy Springs. The new agreement comes three years after Sandy Springs approved an agreement with the Pickens County Sheriff's Office to house prisoners at its Adult Detention Center in Jasper.

Sandy Springs Police Major Craig Chandler said SSPD was informed in May by Pickens County's jail administrator that it can't provide transportation to or from the city as part of its agreement to house inmates due to a "severe staffing shortage," he said in his agenda packet to city leaders. That change was slated to go into effect on July 15.

"Pickens County indicated a willingness to continue housing only, but acknowledged this may not be a feasible arrangement for Sandy Springs," the city notes in the packet.

SSPD began using Pickens County in 2015 when it was notified by the small southwest Georgia city of Pelham that it would halt housing inmates outside counties.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here)

Chandler said SSPD began scouting area agencies about whether they'd be willing to house its inmates, and began talking with the city of Smyrna about the possibility. As part of the intergovernmental agreement, the city of Smyrna will offer its Detention Facility to be used by Sandy Springs at a cost of $50 per inmate per day.

For comparison purposes, Chandler said Sandy Springs was paying Pickens County $40 per day. The Pickens County facility is more than 50 miles away, and trying to coordinate transportation for that distance would be a financial burden for the Police Department to sustain over a long period of time, Chandler said in his report.

The money paid to Smyrna will include the cost of providing normal services to inmates such as housing, delivery and transportation to court. Smyrna will provide transportation to and from medical facilities, but security while at medical facilities for prisoners requiring removal from the Detention Facility for emergency medical care will be provided by Sandy Springs. All costs associated with hospital or health care services will be paid directly by Sandy Springs.

Chandler informed the Council that Smyrna police will transport the inmates to court and Sandy Springs officers will transform them back to the facility once their hearing is over.

"That way, they won't have any staff stay while they wait," he said.

The IGA will go into effect Aug. 1 and will run through June 30, 2019, with automatic renews for up to four one-year terms beginning July 1 and ending June 30.

Image via Shutterstock