In the lobby of the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Jared Rigby pointed to framed photos of the county’s different Sheriff’s Office buildings over time. The first was built in 1882.
That one was two stories high and constructed of brick with a white-railed balcony. Specifically, Rigby pointed to the jail, built as a separate structure behind the Sheriff’s Office, which then doubled as the county administration building.
That administration building, jail and Sheriff’s Office lasted from 1968 to 1996, when the current county administration building was built on Heber City’s Main Street. Today’s Sheriff’s Office relocated to the southern end of Main Street, next to the Wasatch County Courthouse.
The current Sheriff’s Office and county jail has not seen a renovation overhaul since 1996, Rigby said. It’s part of why he is looking forward to phase one of a three-phased plan to renovate the jail and Sheriff’s Office.
The first phase is estimated to cost $2.3 million with no projected tax increases. Assistant County Manager Heber Lefgren said that the County Council has authorized the work but is considering tying some of the upgrades to the existing courthouse expansion project, expected to finish by the end of the summer.
Phase one will address immediate system and security needs. Phase two would potentially start in three to five years and will address facility needs associated with rapid growth in Wasatch County. It is projected to cost $36 million. Phase three would not start for five years and would include constructing a second jail housing pod to meet future inmate capacity. Plus, site improvements. That final phase is projected to cost $14.2 million.
Lefgren said phases two and three could be paid with bonds costing $2.7 million and $1 million per year for 20 years with 4% interest.
On a tour of the jail, Rigby discussed what exactly needs to change within the facility. The tour began by walking through the Sheriff’s Office lobby to the jail’s entrance at the eastern end of the facility.
Jail Commander Lt. Josh Harris opened a secure door, then another locked door to enter the jail. Visitors sign in on a clipboard before entering the facility.
The jail is shaped like a horseshoe and built around the back of the Sheriff’s Office. There are separate secure entrances on either prong of the horseshoe, separate housing facilities for inmates based on gender, a meeting area for programming and an outdoor yard for recreation.
A group of women filled the programming room for a narcotics and substance abuse course at the time of the tour. Deputies packed the jail housing center — a control station.
The housing center is a raised platform with a view of both the men’s and women’s facilities and the programming room. There are multiple monitors — some touchscreen — where deputies can monitor which doors are open or closed, where the inmates are and other safety or security aspects of jail operations. The housing center runs all the interior doors and electronics but not the exterior doors.
It’s an office for the deputies and, in short, it looks like it has not seen an upgrade since 1996: dated electronics systems, worn-out carpet and a few safety and security pitfalls.
Inmates travel through the jail by being escorted around the housing center. There is easy access to the steps leading up to the monitors and deputies’ desks.
For deputies like Sgt. Natalie Bateman, who works in the jail and courthouse, there are other kinds of shortcomings.
“I have to stand on my tiptoes to see over some of the big computer screens,” Bateman said.
At 5 feet 4 inches tall, Bateman is not the only officer who has an obstructed view of the facilities. The computer screens and the fact that the housing center is on a raised platform means that most officers’ views of the inmate facilities are occasionally obstructed.
From the housing center control room, deputies should be able to see into each facility to monitor the men’s and women’s areas. Right now, there is only a clear view of the classroom to the right of the housing center unless deputies are standing in the area.
The first phase of the renovation will help correct that. The remodel will include some reorienting of the control area so officers have a better vantage point. And, the upgrades will include the construction of a new wall around the control center for better security of the area.
Only a certain number of inmates can be escorted through the halls around the housing area at a time. That’s the only way inmates can travel from their facility to the physician’s facility, the programming classroom and the visitation room (where inmates also appear on WebEx for court hearings). Harris also said one of the challenging parts of the current setup is that there is a fine line to walk between programming and letting inmates out in the yard for outdoor recreation.
“If they’re playing handball (outside), they can hear that in the classroom, and it’s disruptive,” Harris said.
And programming is one of the main sticking points for Rigby, who said the jail puts an emphasis on classes that will further the inmates’ ability to better themselves and prepare themselves for when they are ultimately released from the jail. There are school classes, substance abuse classes, group therapy and religious meetings available to the inmates.
It’s part of the Sheriff’s Office’s plan to help inmates with rehabilitation. There are also opportunities for inmates to have tablet access at all free times during the day. If they can pay for it or apply for a special condition, inmates can have their own personal tablet. They can call or email family members and friends freely — though everything is recorded and monitored.
There is one laptop in the visitation area (a small, hallway-like room) at a classroom-style desk. That’s where inmates appear for virtual court hearings. The visitation area is also where inmates can visit with family and friends, though Rigby said in-person visits have dropped since tablet use became popular. Now, the jail sees up to five in-person visits per month.
Rigby said the jailhouse barber also sets up shop in the visitation area.
The 88-bed facility is home to a mix of county and state prison inmates. Some are sent from the state prison simply because there is not enough room at either the Salt Lake City or Gunnison location. Rigby said most, however, are only in the jail for hours at best.
“That’s called ‘book and release,’” Rigby said.
He added that most will make bail and leave the jail in the same day. There are two categories of inmates: pre-sentenced and sentenced. There are those with felonies and those with misdemeanors — the jail houses both. It’s the board of pardons that makes the decision on how long people stay sentenced, Rigby said. Some are let go early. Some serve the full term of their sentence.
“If they come and can’t meet bail, they stay,” Rigby said.
It’s unusual for inmates to stay longer than a year in the Wasatch County jail. Though, the deputies in the housing center (who know the inmates by name and the length of their sentence) said one county inmate has been there for three years. That’s not typical, though.
With the rapid growth in Wasatch County, Rigby said it’s a certainty that there will be an increase in the number of inmates who need a bed in the jail.
The three-phased renovation will help the jail adjust to the increased need. Phase two includes expanding booking, evidence, administrative, patrol and investigations areas. There will also be construction of a new medical housing unit. Phase three would not start for at least five years, but it is designed to meet future inmate capacity.
But Rigby said the renovation will start with the basics. The $2.3 million will not be spent solely on a new wall around the housing area, but also on electronics upgrades. Harris said that the current software needs an upgrade, though it is still operational.
The jail and the Intermountain Health Heber Valley Hospital is what the county relies on for helping or handling individuals who are suffering a crisis. That’s in regard to mental health, he said. Either people are suffering, unwell and need the hospital or they need to be detained at the jail if they’re a danger to themselves or others. He said upgrades to the jail will help the Sheriff’s Office intervene in more effective ways.
While the county is addressing the three-phased approach to the renovation, the upgrades are part of the Sheriff’s Office 20-year facility master plan. Rigby said he would encourage emphasis on the needs assessment presented by Lefgren at a County Council meeting on April 8, which indicated that the jail is functionally at capacity and would need to be expanded to continue providing services to the state.
Plus key space for operations is at or over capacity, including evidence storage, patrol work areas and briefing spaces.
“It’s not like everything has been way unsafe,” Rigby said, adding that the Sheriff’s Office and jail just needs a well-overdue upgrade. “We need to get into the century we’re in.”
The last upgrade to the Sheriff’s Office and jail was made 10 years ago when the lobby was reorganized and the entrance to the jail was moved. There was also the addition of an evidence room and relocation for the dispatch center, which was only accessible through the jail. Then, there have been ADA upgrades over time.
“Those renovations were because of growth,” Rigby said.
The county has approved the use of $1 million from the general fund for phase one. Phases two and three have yet to have funding approval, though there is potential for revenue bonds to be funded largely through public safety impact fees.
Rigby said now is the time for another round of upgrades and renovations.
“Families and inmates need better,” Rigby said.