Pubdate: Wed, 09 Jun 2004
Source: News-Press (FL)
Copyright: 2004 The News-Press
Contact:  http://www.news-press.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1133
Author: Carie L. Call
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/additional+officers

SHERIFF RECEIVES $590,468 FOR JAIL

Money From County Will Also Be Used For New Officers

Sheriff Rod Shoap received $590,468 Tuesday from Lee County to hire
additional officers and help open the second floor of the jail.

Lee County commissioners approved the money transfer from the county
general fund. The money is in addition to the sheriff's 2004 $93
million budget and his 2005 budget request for $107 million.

Shoap said Tuesday that the additional money will go to hire 42 new
corrections officers to staff the second floor of the Core Facility
jail on Ortiz Avenue.

"It will allow us to get them into the academy before the new budget
year begins Oct. 1," Shoap said.

Commissioners have agreed to open the second floor of the two-story
jail and possibly build another jail because of a skyrocketing inmate
population.

The jail population hit an average of 1,462 prisoners in April.
Commissioners have said the county must find some way to streamline
the court system and reduce the inmate count through plea agreements,
work-release programs and jail diversion programs such as drug court
and mental health court.

The additional money comes after Shoap asked for a 14.9 percentage
increase over his 2004 budget and a 71 percent increase over the
sheriff's budget when Shoap took office in 2001.

But commissioners didn't seem to mind the request.

"It'll help him open the second floor of the jail," said Commissioner
Bob Janes.

Also on Tuesday, the sheriff's office was reimbursed $3.4 million for
work the multiagency drug task force performed in 2004. The task
force, called CLEAN, or Combined Law Enforcement Against Narcotics,
Shoap said, operates from a grant that the county matches. The task
force includes members of the sheriff's office, the Fort Myers and
Cape Coral police departments and the state attorney's office.

"We pay the county the money we get from confiscated property and they
pay us back," Shoap said. "Those revenues are split between all the
agencies involved and are used for numerous things such as
investigation costs and drug abuse education."

Florida law requires Lee commissioners to give their approval of
expenditures for the law enforcement trust fund, which is money
generated by the sale of confiscated property.

"Those dollars that were forfeited include drug transactions, vehicles
and things," said Lee County sheriff's Chief David Bonsall.

Shoap also was reimbursed $723,418 from fees from services. For
example, he said, if a deputy has a car accident while on duty, the
insurance company pays the county for damages. Then, once a year, the
county reimburses the sheriff's office. Other reimbursements are for
inmate meals and medical supplies, Shoap said.

"The county is doing our accounting for us. It's additional oversight,
a very clear cost-counting, penny for penny."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin