SALT LAKE CITY — In an effort to "restore order and public safety" in Salt Lake City's Rio Grande neighborhood, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams and Sheriff Jim Winder announced Monday a plan to free up jail space — and sooner rather than later.
The plan: Contract with other counties so Salt Lake County can start shipping inmates to empty beds throughout the state.
Under the direction of House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, the Utah Legislature this year approved $2.8 million to help pay for the jail beds, but that funding won't be available until the state's fiscal year begins July 1.
In the meantime, Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City have been left with mounting public pressure to avoid another chaotic, crime- and drug-riddled summer near the troubled Road Home shelter.
"Right now, this area of our city is unsafe for families and individuals who are visiting or living there," McAdams said. "It's also not safe for the homeless who are not part of the criminal element, but who end up in this area in search of services and to get a leg up to get their lives back on track.
"We know the situation can't wait."
Salt Lake County plans to put $700,000 toward phasing in the jail beds as soon as possible, while also loosening jail booking restrictions that have left criminals on the streets.
"This effort will help officers in all cities within Salt Lake County to arrest and incarcerate people who commit crimes and are a danger to the safety of our community," McAdams said.
When the full $2.8 million from the state becomes available, it's expected to fund as many as 300 inmates at $52 per day, Winder said.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill estimated that could amount to nearly 10,000 jail-bed days because of jail turnover. But it's not clear exactly how many beds the $700,000 will fund in the meantime because it's a complicated matter, Winder said.
For example, inmates will only be sent to jails that have the appropriate levels of security and services they need, the sheriff said.
"The question will be: Do we have the right inmates and the right facilities to match them up? This isn't about taking some clothing and putting it into a different closet. We've got human beings here that have very specific, dynamic needs, as well as their families that we have to consider as we're moving them around our state," Winder said. "It's not something we take lightly."
As county jail officials start opening space in a "metered fashion," that's when they'll also start gradually loosening booking restrictions, Winder said.
If the daily booking numbers show flexibility, "boom, we'll go down on booking restrictions," the sheriff said. "That's what I'm hopeful to do, as quickly as possible. Trust me, nobody wants them off more than me."
Though the county's overall aim is to improve conditions in the Rio Grande area, neither Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski nor Police Chief Mike Brown were present at Monday's news conference.
Both leaders have publicly expressed the need for more jail space so law enforcement can keep criminals off the street.
McAdams said Salt Lake City leaders were informed of the plan, but they didn't attend because the jail is a county matter.
Biskupski and Brown issued a joint statement shortly after the announcement, thanking Salt Lake County for "fulfilling their responsibility to provide adequate jail space."
"Partnerships like this are critical in providing resources to those who are working to solve problems in the Rio Grande neighborhood every day," the statement said.
"No law enforcement agency in the state is more equipped (than Salt Lake City police) to deal with the unique situation that exists in the Rio Grande area. Our officers want to hold accountable those who are breaking the law and compassionately help those in need. When given the resources to do their jobs fully, they can create real change in the area."
In an interview later Monday, Brown said it's a relief to see the additional jail space, calling the new beds "long overdue."
"It's been a morale killer" for police officers, he said, because it's been "extremely difficult" to keep Rio Grande under control while not being able to book offenders.
But are the new jail beds going to be enough?
County and city leaders agree it's only a first step, and much more needs to be done — particularly around mental health and drug addiction treatment.
"It's a start," Brown said. "But even if they opened up 100 or 200 or 300 beds tomorrow, we could easily fill them up in a week. The important part is to provide treatment."
McAdams said Utah's Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a state-led reform to keep people with mental health and addiction issues out of prison, has been "swamping" the county by shifting more than 7,000 inmates from the prison to jails because of reduced penalties.
Short of some form of Medicaid expansion or other comprehensive treatment dollars, the county mayor said the reform will continue to "wreak havoc in our communities."
"This is a first step in the right direction," McAdams said, but he acknowledged it's a "minimal drop in the bucket" when it comes to overall systematic needs.
Hughes called the additional jail beds "another key step" in the issue and said he remains a "committed partner in solving this crisis."
"Homelessness is a statewide issue and every community has a role to play," the speaker said in a statement. "We must protect the most vulnerable amongst us by arresting the wolves who prey upon them."
Biskupski said nearly $2.5 million will be prioritized for homeless services and mitigation efforts surrounding the shelter in her budget recommendation set to be made public Tuesday. The funding includes $685,000 to match county funds spent on Operation Diversion, an initiative to divert the drug-addicted or mentally ill to treatment.
McAdams and Biskupski said they will announce additional initiatives in the coming weeks to expand work to mitigate concerns in the Rio Grande area.