Jefferson County Sheriff Burns fires at legislators on outboarding inmates

Jefferson County Sheriff John P. Burns sent a rhetorical shot back at Legislator Robert D. Ferris on Monday after a quote from Mr. Ferris in the Sunday Times implied the sheriff could be more efficient in housing inmates at the Metro-Jefferson Public Safety Building.

Mr. Burns said in a statement that Mr. Ferris “should stick to selling car stereos instead of micromanaging the Jefferson County Jail.”

Mr. Ferris said his quote had been taken out of context and he does not want this to be personal.

“Although my statements to the newspaper were taken out of context, the issue of prisoner housing is being debated in many county legislatures throughout New York State,” he said in a statement Monday. “The goal here is to save taxpayers money. When I am elected next Tuesday, I will continue working to save the people of Jefferson County money while maintaining a high level of service.”

Mr. Ferris, a Republican, faces a challenge from Democrat Ronald H. Cole in Nov. 8’s election. Mr. Burns is also a Democrat, but denies any political reason for his attack Monday.

“I didn’t do this because of the election,” he said. “I don’t allow politics to enter this office. My job is to put the best possible police protection in place that we can, at the least cost to the taxpayers.”

Jefferson County spent about $1 million in 2010 to house inmates in other counties, called outboarding. The jail population and the need to outboard inmates are unlikely to decline: 30 inmates were in other counties’ jails Monday.

“The most cost-effective thing is to build a jail bigger than what we need so we can start taking in inmates from other places and start to cut some of the cost,” Mr. Burns said.

He said he receives calls daily from Fort Drum, the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection requesting use of the Jefferson County jail, which he turns down.

Mr. Ferris, in fact, is supportive of building a jail expansion, beginning the planning process now so it can be built when the debt service on the current jail ends. But he supports, as many other legislators do, sharing jails with other counties based on classifications, such as juvenile or female.

“All I’m doing is to make suggestions and look into other avenues,” he said. “As soon as we can sit down to save the taxpayers money, I’m ready to do it.”

Mr. Burns said other counties do not like housing certain classifications. And to “share” jails, the cooperating county would need a state waiver.

“I don’t believe that we’d ever get the waivers,” he said.

Most members of the Board of Legislators also support pushing the state Commission of Correction on why the county cannot send inmates to state prisons, some of which sit with empty cells nearby. The state has told the county the cost would be exorbitant, Mr. Burns said.

After reading a few of the legislators’ comments in their Q&As on the Times website, Mr. Burns said the county has exhausted its options for housing the inmates in other places.

“I don’t believe they understand how the system works,” he said. “If they want to address the problem, then address it. Don’t put it off, because you’re going to cost the taxpayers three times the amount of money in five years.”