THE GUARDIAN read the IPT article in the Saturday edition about Canyon County Jail problems and noted the photos used as visual aids. The finger pointing is now well underway on how and why a public asset got to this stage of neglect.
Nothing in the list sent by the Jail Commander up the line has anything to do with needing a new facility. THE GUARDIAN would offer the management need only to look at any US Naval ship or other military installation for a benchmark model on how to maintain assets. Military ships, barracks, airplanes, tanks, trucks, and equipment are many years old before they are relegated to the scrap pile.
Cleaning, painting and maintenance are constant activities to keep all their stuff ready for deployment and a moments notice. A jail is not unlike a ship. The crews live on board and all cleaning, painting and maintenance is done with the crew living in their assigned quarters. Rarely does a crew of a ship live anywhere but on the ship. Even in dry dock and yard overhaul cycles crews must live on board. Everything gets done and the work gets done. As a practical matter the need to house inmates elsewhere while cleaning and painting takes place does has the ring of "weak sauce" to anyone who spent any time in the military services of our great country.
The finger pointing needs to stop and the resources applied to get the cleaning, painting and maintenance issues addressed. The likelihood of a bond passing is not good given the information presented in the media and the state of the economy.
It will be interesting to see what the official response to the ACLU lawsuit will be from the Commishes and the Sheriff. The media needs to give these folks a full court press on the issues of neglect and poor maintenance of our public assets.
How could the county jail get in such disrepair? Since taking office Chris Smith has tripled the number of captains and lieutenants working in the sheriff's office. With all of this high paid management one would think keeping the jail clean and in repair would not be a problem. What do all of these new captains and lieutenants do to earn their keep? Maybe there is a need for a few more Indians and a lot less chiefs !!
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