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State inspections detail problems that led to downsizing of Campbell jail
By Sarah Lehr
CAMPBELL
Reports released by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction reveal the city jail was out of compliance with 22 of the state’s 64 minimum regulatory standards.
Those problems motivated Mayor Nick Phillips’ decision to quietly downsize the jail in November.
The jail formerly operated as 12-day facility, which is licensed through the state to detain inmates for up to 12 days at a time.
The noncompliance issues led Phillips to convert the lockup into a temporary holding facility that could keep suspects for no more than six hours at a time.
One of the more serious violations was a lack of documentation showing officers had been trained to screen inmates for health problems and other issues.
Additionally, the state asked Campbell to better secure the jail’s entrance by installing a new lock, putting in a new security perimeter door and replacing wall material from the top of the door to the ceiling.
The city then had the opportunity to reply with a plan of action detailing efforts to remedy the issues.
The ODRC, however, notified the city in October 2016 the plan was insufficient. The October notice did not revoke the jail’s 12-day licensing. It merely informed the city it would need to show a “good-faith effort” to comply during subsequent inspections.
At that point, Phillips said he felt the jail’s operational costs and liability risks outweighed any benefits. Since 12-day facilities face a greater regulatory burden under state standards, Phillips concluded it would be better to scale back the jail rather than to spend money upgrading the decades-old facility.
At the mayor’s request, then-acting Police Chief Lt. Kevin Sferra notified the ODRC on Nov. 30 the city would convert the 12-day facility to a temporary holding facility. The ODRC formally approved the city’s request Feb. 7.
The city is now modifying a portion of the former jail to create an evidence room. Police Chief Dennis Puskarcik said the new evidence room would be “more secure.”
The city sealed off its old evidence room amid an ongoing probe by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation into the conduct of former Campbell police Sgt. Dave Taybus. Taybus resigned last December after allegations surfaced relating to his handling of evidence.
The rollback of Campbell’s jail is not unprecedented in the area. Many municipalities, including the city of Youngstown, have decided it is not worthwhile to run a small jail in the face of financial and regulatory demands.
Campbell Finance Director Michael Evanson noted last year that, due to economies of scale, these costs are more bearable for larger facilities, such as the Mahoning County jail.
Struthers Mayor Terry Stocker shut down the Struthers jail in 2016 because of noncompliance issues that came to light after a suicide of an inmate in 2015.
Last year, Struthers reached a $750,000 settlement with the family of the deceased.
Additionally, Stocker handed down suspensions of 17 days each to police Captains Patrick Bundy and Michael Leonard for neglectful violations of jail policy in the hours leading up to the suicide. After arbitration, Leonard ultimately received three days of unpaid suspension.
Bundy did not go through arbitration but reached an agreement with the city for five days’ suspension, including three days unpaid.