SALINE COUNTY, Arkansas — Saline County is moving forward with plans to expand the detention center.
This is a project that has been several years in the making and one that the sheriff says will make the growing area far safer.
"We have so many misdemeanor crimes that we can't address because we don't have the bed space," explained Saline County Sheriff Rodney Wright.
For a while now, the Saline County jail has been struggling with issues of overcrowding. Currently, the jail has 234 beds. When the project is finished there will be a total of 316.
"We have to make sure that we have the capacity so that when people choose, and I say the word choose because people choose to break the law, we have to have the capacity to make sure there's going to be consequences and repercussions for those actions," said Sheriff Wright.
It's been 14 years since the jail has added bed space. The county judge said the rise in population has made it necessary to get this project done.
"These 82 beds, while it will decrease that ratio, will not be where we need to be. It's just all that we can afford," said Saline County Judge Matt Brumley.
The project is estimated to cost about $8.5 million. Along with the expansion, there will also be a few jailer positions that are added.
"We want to make sure if you come to this county and you want to break the law, we have a bed space for you," said Sheriff Wright.
The county expects the expansion to be completed by this time next year.
Judge Brumley said they are already planning on the next phase of expansion for the county jail, but there's not a timeline on that just yet.