{"id":26339,"date":"2024-08-01T23:00:41","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T23:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/la-plata-county-jail-nearly-full-vows-to-no-longer-accept-low-level-municipal-offenders\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T05:37:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T05:37:59","slug":"la-plata-county-jail-nearly-full-vows-to-no-longer-accept-low-level-municipal-offenders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/la-plata-county-jail-nearly-full-vows-to-no-longer-accept-low-level-municipal-offenders\/","title":{"rendered":"La Plata County Jail nearly full, vows to no longer accept low-level municipal offenders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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The La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Office has confirmed it is investigating an inmate who smuggled drugs into the La Plata County Jail.<\/span>Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

La Plata County Sheriff Sean Smith said in a letter to the county\u2019s three municipalities, Bayfield, Ignacio and Durango, on Thursday that the county jail will no longer accept \u201cfresh arrests or sentenced inmates on municipal charges\u201d effective Aug. 15.<\/p>\n

Smith cited jail population growth from about 165 inmates per day to 207 inmates per day over the last several weeks, surpassing its maximum population threshold of 195 inmates per day. There were 193 inmates in the jail Thursday morning.<\/p>\n

The decision will impact only low-level offenders arrested on municipal charges, such as failure to appear in municipal court or unpaid traffic tickets. People arrested on suspicion of more serious offenses charged under state law will still be held at the detention center, Smith said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is strictly when a municipality wants to put people in custody for the things that they charge under their code through their court,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Although the explosion in inmate population could quickly pass, Smith\u2019s letter indicated that any municipality wishing to house inmates at the jail must negotiate an intergovernmental agreement with the county \u2013 something Durango and La Plata County do not currently have.<\/p>\n

Bayfield and Ignacio have not used the county detention facility lately. But Durango does use the jail under the terms of a \u201cgentlemen\u2019s agreement,\u201d according to County Manager Chuck Stevens.<\/p>\n

City officials produced a 1994 IGA that has automatically renewed itself according to a 1996 amendment. The document, last updated nearly 30 years ago, states that the city shall compensate the county $55 per day for each municipal inmate in the jail and does not contain a clause to increase that amount over time. It also states that the agreement can only be canceled for cause and with 30 days notice.<\/p>\n

Under the terms of an antiquated IGA with San Juan County (Silverton), La Plata County was recently exposed to potential expenses related to the medical needs of a San Juan County inmate housed in the La Plata County Jail.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not a position we\u2019re comfortable with continuing,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cSo what we would like in negotiations is just shoring up our legal exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2023, Smith said municipal inmates occupied about 10 beds over the course of the year. In the first seven months of 2024, the number of municipal jail-bed days has exceeded 130. Under the terms of the unofficial agreement, the city pays the county $78 for each day an inmate spends in jail, although a recent financial analysis by the county found its actual expenses for housing are $153 per day.<\/p>\n

How the compensation increased from $55 to $78 without official documentation remains unknown.<\/p>\n