Detention center faces staffing, infrastructure, funding hurdles
By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
It takes both human and financial resources to support a county jail.
During the July 8 city council meeting McKinley County Manager Anthony Dimas and the McKinley County Adult Detention Center Warden James Lehner gave a presentation in front of the city council in which they broke down the detention center’s needs.
STAFFING THE JAIL
From correctional officers to the front desk receptionists, a wide variety of people help make sure the jail’s everyday routines run smoothly.
The jail is made up of 10 pods. Nine of them are for the general population, and one is the segregation pod, often called solitary confinement by laymen. During a normal shift, two sergeants oversee the pods and supervise the floor and correctional officers. Two lieutenant officers, Lynn Pablo and Diego Prieto, are in charge of the sergeants.
Then, besides the command chain for disciplinary officers, there’s the other staff members who keep the jail running. These staff members run transportation, laundry services, booking, hygiene, and the control center for the jail.
These people clean the jail, do the inmates’ laundry, run programs for the inmates’ entertainment and wellbeing, and make sure they stay healthy and go to their medical appointments.
During a recent city council meeting the question of the detention center’s staffing and whether or not the facility needed 50 employees came up. Dimas reassured the council that the number is a sufficient and accurate representation of the city and county’s needs.
At the time of the July 8 city council meeting, the detention center had 40 employees, when they actually budget for 50. Dimas said they could really benefit from having 60 employees, but 50 is manageable.
Councilor Sarah Piano, Dist. 3, questioned the amount of staff by asking what is done when the detention center has fewer inmates. She asked if the employees are given other tasks when there’s less inmates and therefore less work.
Dimas said the limited staff actually forces the detention center to spend quite a bit of money on overtime, and people bounce around doing different jobs regularly. Staff members often work 16-hour shifts to make sure all the responsibilities are covered 24/7. The jail breaks work into three shifts; the day shift works from 7 am to 3 pm, the swing shift clocks in at 3 pm and leaves at 11 pm, and then the night shift works from 11 pm to 7 am.
Lehner said limiting the detention center’s staff would only cause problems.
“If I take people away from one of my spots, it’s just like taking a police car away from an area that’s a high crime area,” he explained. “You take it away, bad things happen. I need to make sure these things are staffed.”
As of July 15, Lehner had completed interviews to fill the 10 open positions. In an interview with the Sun, he said he planned to have those positions filled and the new staff working by July 28.
Lehner said having a full staff will ensure inmates’ and other staff members’ safety.
“Anytime in law enforcement, the more eyes you have on something, the better and the safer it is,” he said. “My goal is to make sure my people are safe and the people who are incarcerated in that jail are safe as well.”
RENOVATING THE JAIL
The McKinley County Detention Center is 26 years old. But Dimas said that the fact that the facility is used 24/7 needs to be factored into the building’s age, accounting for wear and tear. With that in mind, he said the building is actually more like 76 years old.
Before COVID, the county considered building a new jail. When they looked into it, the price tag was about $26 million. Right after COVID hit, the estimate came out to $31 million. Now, five years later, with inflation and materials costs rising, the estimate is closer to $61 million.
So instead of spending that much money, the county has decided to spend about $15 million renovating the existing building. The county will be paying for the renovations using the general fund.
“We’re trying to make sure [the detention center] is around for the next 15 years or so,” Dimas said.
The project is broken out into four phases.
Right now, Phases One and Two are being worked on simultaneously.
Lehner said one of the biggest issues the detention center faces is the old showers. They constantly break down and the detention center brings people in to fix them.
These early two phases are working to update them, along with the detention center’s ventilation system, the security ceiling, and the electrical work. Along with the showers, they’re also replacing the stainless steel units, the ventilation, lighting, electrical and emergency power.
Lehner said he hopes to have the showers completed by the beginning of August.
Then he and his team will be able to move on to Phase 3, which is all about the facility’s kitchen. They plan to replace water lines, the kitchen’s concrete flooring, the ventilation system, and upgrade the HVAC system. Lehner said many of the jail’s cast iron pipes are failing, so they all need to be replaced.
Finally, Phase 4 will see an upgrade to the detention center’s security system. New high-definition camera will be installed, along with other modernized technology.
Lehner said the goal is to have all four phases completed by the middle or end of 2026.
A priority that is lower on the list is the outside of the detention center. Lehner said the landscaping and other grounds work will also be worked on.
THE MONEY IT TAKES TO RUN THE JAIL
McKinley County and the City of Gallup currently split the detention center’s operational costs. The county pays 70% of the $5.5 million yearly budget, and the city pays 30%.
In order for this partnership to work, the city and county both have representation on the Jail Authority Board. Dimas, Assistant County Manager Brian Money, and the Board of Commissioners Chair Robert Baca Jr., Dist. 3, represent the county. Mayor Louie Bonaguidi and the city’s Behavioral Health Investment Zone Manager Debra Martinez round things out for the city.
The JAB oversees financial and operational decisions, all in an effort to make sure the detention center runs smoothly and effectively. They try to meet on a quarterly basis, with their next meeting tentatively scheduled for August.
