Jefferson County Sheriff proposes new impound building

FAIRFIELD — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has proposed a new impound building to be constructed just outside the Jefferson County Law Center on West Grimes Avenue in Fairfield.

Jefferson County Sheriff Bart Richmond and Chief Deputy Jerry Marcellus brought the proposal to the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors to discuss during their work session Thursday. The supervisors asked Richmond and Marcellus to gather data on how much such a building would cost by getting estimates from contractors. Richmond and Marcellus agreed to do that and to bring their findings to the supervisors at a later meeting.

The new impound building would be 100 feet long and 30 feet wide, with six overhead doors, an evidence room and bathroom. It would be built along the north side of the impound lot.

Richmond and Marcellus told the supervisors that the existing impound building is not big enough for the sheriff’s office needs. It can only house one vehicle, while the rest must remain exposed to the weather and foundry dust all year. The sheriff’s office’s vehicle fleets includes a special response van, box truck, an ATV, an enclosed trailer, a flatbed trailer and two PIT-maneuvering training cars.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, just like the Fairfield Police Department, stores evidence used in criminal investigations inside the evidence room at the Jefferson County Law Center. However, the evidence room is full, and thus the officers must resort to storing evidence in the neighboring impound building. Richmond and Marcellus said this is not good because the impound building is not insulated or not climate controlled, and thus evidence stored there is subject to damage from temperature extremes or dampness.

Daryn Hamilton, chair of the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors, said the new impound building might be used by both the sheriff’s office and police department. The two entities have a 28E agreement to share the Jefferson County Law Center and its equipment. Most of the expenses are split such that the county pays two-thirds, while other expenses are split 50-50. If the Fairfield Police Department needs the new impound lot, the matter would have to be approved by the countywide service agency that oversees the 28E agreement.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com