LAKE CITY, SC (WBTW) – Lake City is closing the doors to its jail after a final approval by City Council..
City Administrator Shawn Bell says the closing will save the city nearly $140,000 a year.
Bell says housing inmates is expensive. But the upkeep is even more.
“All of the toilets and sinks in the cells are old and need to be repaired and those are very expensive,” says Bell.
City leaders believe the money could be better spent.
“In the wake of the Ferguson tragedy and North Charleston we started looking into the department saying you know this sis something we probably need to do and we want to be prepared,” Bell added.
After a vote by City Council much of the money that would have gone to the jail will now go to police.
The city administrator tells News 13 that they’ll hire more officers and buy new cruisers.
He also says every patrol officer will get a body camera.
“We’re going to equip those with all of our patrol officers and a few other general type of equipment and vehicles,” said Bell.
It’s something that the community supports.
“The community is really getting behind this notion of community policing and adding additional police officers.
Leaders say they’ll start the hiring process for new officers on July 1.
They’re already looking at options for body cameras and police cruisers.
City leaders say the building will be used for office space and operations will move 11 miles down the road to the Florence County facility in Effingham.
The inmates will go to the Florence County Detention Center.
