Campbell mayor quietly scales back city jail

VINDICATOR EXCLUSIVE

By Sarah Lehr

slehr@vindy.com

CAMPBELL

Mayor Nick Phillips has quietly scaled back the Campbell jail.

The lockup, which formerly operated as a facility that could hold inmates for up to 12 days at a time, is now operating as a temporary holding facility that can house people only for up to six hours.

Regulatory standards through the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction increase for higher-grade jails.

Phillips said he came to the decision as a result of ODRC’s 2016 inspection of the jail. City officials said repairs necessary to bring it up to code could total up to $1 million.

Lt. Kevin Sferra, who was acting police chief at the time, sent a letter to ODRC on Nov. 30 informing the oversight agency of the city’s intent to convert the jail into a temporary holding facility. An ODRC spokeswoman said Friday that the agency is still processing the city’s request.

In the letter, Sferra cited issues with the city’s 12-day operation, including a lack of doctors and nurses on staff, potential liability and costs for repairs, including upgrades to the air-conditioning and heating systems.

Former Campbell Police Chief Drew Rauzan, who resigned this month after the mayor fired him in November, had contended that the jail was a cost savings for the city. Rauzan pointed to time saved by officers who do not have to transport suspects to the county jail and avoidance of the county’s billing system for housing city prisoners.

The mayor disagreed.

“It was almost overbearing, financially, for the city to keep the jail up,” Phillips said, adding that Mahoning County has greater resources to devote to running a jail.

The county lockup can house 578 inmates, according to state recommendations. Campbell’s could house only four.

Suspected felons, Phillips said, should be housed under greater security at the county jail. He added that the city rarely used its jail anyway, because many people charged with misdemeanors can either be released on bond or summoned to appear in court.

Mahoning County charges municipalities $80 per inmate per day to house people charged only with violation of city ordinances. If an inmate faces state charges or a combination of city and state charges, the county foots the bill.

Campbell Law Director Brian Macala said the prosecutor’s office is “revaluating” the way it charges suspects in light of the fact the city jail can no longer house people overnight.

The issue is further complicated, however, because cities reap most of the fine revenue for nonindigent defendants charged under local ordinances.

Asked if financial considerations could result in additional or stiffer charges against a suspect, Macala acknowledged that could hypothetically occur, but said it would not occur in Campbell.

“This may sound high-minded, but that goes against everything I stand for,” he said. “As a prosecutor, I have to be thinking about fairness and justice and civil liberties.”

Campbell’s shift mirrors the fate of another small jail – in Struthers.

The city of Struthers had operated a 12-day jail until May 2016 when Mayor Terry Stocker converted it into a six-hour temporary holding facility. In October 2016, Stocker moved to shut down the jail completely.

Like Phillips, Stocker cited costs and liability issues presented by the lockup. Those issues came under scrutiny there after an inmate’s suicide in September 2015.

Before shuttering the jail, Stocker had convened an advisory committee and invited a jail consultant to give public presentations before Struthers City Council.

Though Struthers council offered input, it did not vote on the jail’s status; that decision falls under the mayor’s authority.

Still, Stocker’s decision-making process contrasted with Phillip’s lack of fanfare. Phillips said he did speak with Campbell City Council President George Levendis outside of public session before making a decision, but did not feel obligated to make a public announcement to shed light on his reasoning.

“It was my decision as an administrator,” he said. “It was the best decision for the public.”