Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox has provided additional details as to why Livingston County detainees were moved from the Daviess-DeKalb Regional Jail to other facilities. He first reported the move on August 17th.
Cox says Missouri law places the sheriff with the custody and care of detainees. The sheriff has legal requirements, budgets, and other issues to consider with the overall care and needs of detainees. The majority of the detainees his office houses are male, and the closest facility is in Caldwell County, however, it only holds male detainees. Using the Caldwell County Detention Center for most of Livingston County’s male detainees cuts the sheriff’s office’s transport time and fuel in half.
Most of the male Livingston County detainees were moved to Caldwell County, except for three who were either sentenced or are scheduled to have a jury trial in or near November. Those three are housed at the Harrison County Jail. Cox says that saves his office $450 per month in housing.
Harrison County is also holding five of Livingston County’s female detainees, which saves the sheriff’s office an additional $700 per month. The rest of the female detainees are being housed at the Randolph County Detention Center, and that saves the sheriff’s office $1,200 per month.
The Caldwell, Harrison, and Randolph County jails use WebEx with the courts, which he describes as court over the internet. That minimizes his office’s transports and trips to court.
It was noted that some of the detainees do not get along with certain other detainees, and they have to be separated. At other times there are co-defendants in criminal cases, and the courts have ordered them not to have contact with specific people. Cox says that is another reason to use multiple facilities and minimize friction in the jail cells while upholding court orders.
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office’s website has been updated to indicate where each detainee is being held. By clicking the Inmates tab, someone can see alleged violations and where individuals are being held. Additional updates to the website are pending.
There are also websites for the jails in Caldwell, Harrison, and Randolph counties. The Vinelink website can also be used to check the location of individuals in custody and see other information.
