By Ralph Ellis
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
MARIETTA, Ga. — Marietta police want to send some intoxicated suspects to the Smyrna Jail five miles away instead of the Cobb County Jail right in their backyard.
The change is needed because Marietta officers spend a lot of time baby-sitting some of those suspects in hospital emergency rooms, Marietta Mayor Bill Dunaway said.
The smaller Smyrna Jail has a less extensive medical screen. That means suspects are locked up faster and fewer intoxicated suspects are sent to the ER.
Smyrna approved a contract July 20 to accept Marietta suspects for $40 per day per suspect. Marietta hasn’t approved the plan, but the City Council may discuss it at tonight’s work session.
Marietta sends suspects to the 1,925-bed Cobb County Jail in Marietta for about $46 per day per prisoner. If the on-site jail medical staff thinks a suspect needs to go to the ER, the arresting agency must accompany the suspect until released by the hospital, said Col. Don Bartlett of the Sheriff’s Department.
That decision can take an officer off the street for hours, which is “a very large manpower cost to us,” Dunaway said.
Smyrna Jail workers perform a medical screen but don’t have an on-site medical staff, said Lt. Robert Harvey, a city police spokesman. The city contracts with a doctor to check on suspects. Harvey noted that most suspects bail out of the 46-bed jail within hours of their arrests.
The county jail houses 20 to 25 Marietta suspects daily. Bartlett said a “relatively small” number of intoxicated suspects are sent to the ER.
Marietta police Chief Dan Flynn said officers would not be making medical decisions when choosing a lockup. Through experience, police can distinguish a drunk from somebody who’s sick and injured, he said. Flynn stressed he’s not unhappy with the Cobb County Jail.
“It’s a business decision for us,” he said.
Copyright 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution