SHERIFF PUSHES FOR MORE JAIL STAFF

A cap on the number of inmates housed in the Larimer County jail
could be imposed within a few weeks unless county officials come up
with funding to hire staff for the crowded facility.

Following a meeting Tuesday with county commissioners about staffing
levels at the jail, Sheriff Jim Alderden said he could "maintain the
status quo" at the jail only so long.

"I'll just tell the city they can't bring us people unless they're a
violent felon," he said. "Regardless, we also need to work with the
courts to try to do something about the lengths of stays and speed up
some of these judicial processes and shorten sentences."

Alderden had sought the commissioners' permission to hire 15 deputies
and a mental health therapist over the next 16 months, with a
projected cost of $496,897 this year and more than $1 million in 2008.

The commissioners said they would consider the proposal but wanted to
learn more about where the money would come from within the county's
budget and which other programs would have to take financial cuts.

Public safety and the safety of the jail's staff concern all of the
commissioners, said Commissioner Karen Wagner.

"I think we want to work with you on this, but we can't accomplish
that today," she said.

Commissioner Glenn Gibson said the county is facing a financial
crisis when a 0.2 percent sales tax used to help operate the jail
runs out in 2014, resulting in an immediate $8 million drop in funding.

In time, the county's entire budget could be dedicated to the
criminal justice system, Gibson said.

The county should be looking at service areas - including the
Sheriff's Office - that should be cut rather than expanded, he said.

"In other words, how much is enough?" he said.

Commissioner Kathay Rennels said she was "willing to have a
conversation" about the sheriff's request, but she added that a new
source of revenue, such as a tax, is needed to fund the criminal
justice system.

The commissioners and other county officials should meet soon to
decide how to address the jail's staffing problems, she said.

The county has $1 million in reserves earmarked for criminal justice
issues, said county budget manager Bob Keister. But the funding is
temporary and not sustainable for the long run, he said.

The county is likely to lose millions of dollars in the coming years
as municipalities use urban renewal areas and other tools to bolster
their coffers, he said. The county gets most of its funding from
property taxes.

"Our resources are somewhat limited now and will be for the next few
years especially as the real estate market is soft," Keister said.

To maintain safety, Alderden said he would set a limit of 450 inmates
in the jail, meaning it would become a "felony only" facility and
people arrested for misdemeanor offenses would not be booked into the jail.

Alderden told the commissioners staffing levels at the jail are so
low one deputy has to watch 72 inmates at a time. Fights among
inmates and attacks on deputies are becoming more common, he said.

Conditions are so crowded and dangerous at the jail, the county is in
danger of being sued for negligence, Alderden said. A multi-million
dollar judgment would cost the county more than adequately staffing
the facility, Alderden said in an interview.

"For moral and ethical reasons, I cannot allow that to continue," he said.

A decision is needed soon, Alderden said. Hiring and training
deputies takes several months.