Post by Logan on Mar 7, 2016 5:51:39 GMT -6
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's third largest city is unable to serve more than 12,000 outstanding arrest warrants to people accused of crimes such as shoplifting, traffic infractions and misdemeanor assaults because there is no room for the offenders in the county jail as a result of a bitter dispute between the sheriff and local officials.
The situation is so bad in Springfield, population 165,000, that a local judge told city officials recently that she had one docket of cases with 82 people on it and only eight bothered to show up.
Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams said offenders are thumbing their noses at police.
"They're tearing tickets up in front of people," Williams said. "Officers are frustrated because they can't arrest anyone, judges are frustrated that they can't see people, prosecutors are frustrated. It has just kind of spun out of control."
The chaos stems from a disagreement between Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott and municipal officials over use of the county jail, which opened in 2001. The city thought it had an agreement with the county that the jail would house Springfield offenders. Arnott said that agreement is worthless because the Missouri constitution gives the sheriff the right to manage the jail. Last April he announced that the county would no longer take municipal prisoners.
Read more here: www.kansascity.com/latest-news/article64288817.html
The situation is so bad in Springfield, population 165,000, that a local judge told city officials recently that she had one docket of cases with 82 people on it and only eight bothered to show up.
Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams said offenders are thumbing their noses at police.
"They're tearing tickets up in front of people," Williams said. "Officers are frustrated because they can't arrest anyone, judges are frustrated that they can't see people, prosecutors are frustrated. It has just kind of spun out of control."
The chaos stems from a disagreement between Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott and municipal officials over use of the county jail, which opened in 2001. The city thought it had an agreement with the county that the jail would house Springfield offenders. Arnott said that agreement is worthless because the Missouri constitution gives the sheriff the right to manage the jail. Last April he announced that the county would no longer take municipal prisoners.
Read more here: www.kansascity.com/latest-news/article64288817.html