Broken Locks Raise Safety Concerns In Ottawa County Jail

Deputies who work at the Ottawa County jail faces safety risks every day according to the sheriff.

KOAM, the CBS affiliate in Joplin, Missouri, reports the jail's staff says the safety issues stem from the poor shape of the facility.

"The current state of the jail is pretty poor," jail administrator Lt. Jesse Krewson said. 

New to the position, Krewson says he's still assessing all of the prison's needs including additional space for inmates, ability to isolate inmates, along with leaking plumbing, leaking roofs, and updating equipment.

"My staff has told me that even when they built the jail some of the things they put in it they were told was already out of date when they did it," Krewson said. 

And that was 20 years ago. 

Officials say twenty years of wear and tear has made the jail worse by overpopulation. The jail is built to hold 124 inmates. Right now it's housing 146. 

"With overcapacity with inmates you know it plays a big role on the stress of this building," newly-elected Ottawa County Sheriff Jeremy Floyd said.

 It's especially true when the cells holding inmates are missing doors. Or the lock on the door doesn't lock; as is the case with about a dozen cells. 

"And unfortunately from what I've been told, the locks that we have on our cells are obsolete.  So finding parts and finding new locks might be a problem," said Sheriff Floyd.

The sheriff says he's still evaluating the total cost of renovating the jail and doesn't want to build a new one.