Fulton Sheriff objects to county commission’s plan to renovate existing jail

Sheriff Pat Labat used the backdrop of the Fulton County Jail to protest the Fulton County Commissioners’ decision to try and renovate the existing facility instead of building a new one estimated to cost $2 billion .

“If we don’t move toward the future with respect to not just how we treat people, but the increase in technology, a forward-thinking process, people are going to continue to die,” Labat said. “But it won’t be at the hands of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.”

The commissioners voted on Wednesday to authorize a request for proposals to assess if jail facilities could be renovated , and if so, what would be the scope of work necessary.

Labat described problems with the jail such as commercial grade locks being installed instead of correctional grade locks. Since June 1 the jail has had 10 stabbings and 75 shanks – homemade knives fashioned from the building’s crumbling walls – were found.

“Just this week, we had an apparent drone drop with cell phones and cigarettes,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time before someone gets a more dangerous weapon in.”

The renovation plan is dangerous and costly, Labat said. The jail feasibility study reported that every month that nothing is done to build a new jail, its construction costs rise by $10 to $15 million.

The jail averages 1,500 work orders monthly, which Labat said means that 55 percent of the time the building is not functioning as it should.

The current jail blitz project to renovate sections of the jail at a time is not sufficient, Labat said. He called it “putting a Band-Aid on open heart surgery.”

Fulton County Commission Bob Ellis told Rough Draft Atlanta that on July 10 the commissioners approved a plan for the jail balancing the safety and security of detainees and staff with the taxpayers’ financial needs. Renovation will result in a safer jail faster than rebuilding would take, at a far lower cost, he said.

“By comparison, analysis showed that a $1.7 billion Jail would be among the most expensive Jails in the nation, requiring a 25% tax hike, taking years to build,” Ellis said. “It would be irresponsible to continue wasting time studying an approach that is so out of balance with the needs of our community.”

The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice announced in July 2023 that it was investigating conditions at the jail , citing evidence that shows the Fulton County Jail is “dilapidated and eroding,” and that overcrowding conditions would also be part of the investigation.

He said the Department of Justice will have its say when it releases its report on the jail. State senators investigating the jail are waiting on that report also, Labat said.

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