By Associated Press
Birmingham, AL – Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale says an $11.5 million expansion of the county jail in Bessemer will sit empty because he doesn't have enough deputies to staff the new floor designed for 170 inmates.
Hale says it would take $7.5 million to fully staff it.
The reconfigured jail was designed to more than double its capacity from 205 to 417 and to allow the Bessemer lockup to house women for the first time.
The sheriff says it would take 80 additional deputies, including four sergeants and a lieutenant, to completely open the new third floor.
Also, he says, it would take two years to hire that many people.
County Commission President Bettye Fine Collins says Hale should open the jail floor by reallocating existing staff and stay within his budget.