County OKs emergency funds to fix jail doors

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A fix may be coming soon for malfunctioning jail doors at the county jail at 201 Poplar.

Shelby County commissioners voted unanimously Monday to approve just under $350,000 in emergency funds to fix the cell doors. There was no dicussion on the item.

The money will add 100 new motors for cell doors on the jail’s fourth floor, and repair the programmable logic controller that controls the cell doors on the third floor, which was damaged by a power surge.

Sheriff Floyd Bonner said last month that the jail is 45 years old and aging rapidly, causing safety concerns. Inmates have jammed some of the doors with milk cartons, officials say.

“Milk cartons that the detainees get for lunch, dinner, they’re taking those and putting them in jamming the doors, and our signal at the box on the outside of the pod is showing a green light, which means it’s closed. But actually, the door is able to slide open,” Bonner explained. “So it leads to fights, it leads to all kinds of things because these detainees can get out when they want to instead of when we allow them to.”

The vote for the emergency funding for the jail comes after the same board approved $200,000 to study building a new jail. That project could cost the county $800 million, Bonner has said.

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