Today's power move is an interesting suggestion for a major shift in operations and more accountability for an embattled institution.
Round-up for those who haven't read all of the coverage yet:
Fox4KC: Jean Peters Baker proposes putting Jackson County jail under control of Sheriff amid ongoing problems
KCUR: Jackson County Prosecutor Calls On Legislature To Move Oversight Of Jail To Sheriff
KSHB: In a letter sent to the legislature Monday, Baker described the jail as one of the most serious problems the county is facing.
Money line and link to the letter:
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, in a strongly worded letter to county legislators, called on them to move administration of the jail from the county executive to the sheriff's office. In the letter, she said the jail is a "stubborn problem" and "it remains one of the most serious problems facing this County." To help make her case she brought along three members of the county grand jury that wrote a scathing report on the jail, saying it was unsafe, filthy and fiscally mismanaged. “There’s a management issue. There’s a safety and cleanliness issue," grand juror BK Christopher told the legislature Monday. "Building new jail is not going to fix that problem unless we learn how to manage the jail we have.”
And because this blog is the only place where locals can offer their insight without suffering political consequences, we ask our blog community:
WILL THIS PLAN WORK??? IS NEW SHERIFF FORTÉ THE LAST HOPE FOR THE JACKSON COUNTY JAIL?!?
You decide . . .
Absolutely better than what they've been doing. At the rate they're going, they might as well let the inmates run the jail. It could would be more organized.
ReplyDeleteDid she budget for overtime?
DeleteNobody can accuse her of being biased. She is trying to work with somebody who Frank White has selected to fix the jail. She's not being political and she's absolutely right. The Jail can't go on like this.
DeleteTemporary fix at best.
ReplyDeleteThey need to tear the jail down, start over and build it in Independence. Downtown Kansas City is no longer the place for it.
Jean Petersucker Baker likes all this stuff that takes her away from incompetently prosecuting criminals. She thinks if she keeps busy with the other stuff everyone will forget how worthless she is as a prosecutor.
ReplyDeleteForté will steal more from the county than the inmates would if they ran the jail.
ReplyDeleteThis just went from bad to worse........ unfuckingbelievable
ReplyDeleteWhoever the idiot is that keeps saying put it anywhere but downtown needs to grow up and grow a pair, it’s perfect in that shithole downtown close to the courthouses and plus nobody wants the jail to ruin their part of town, besides sLIE is counting on the money they’re getting for having it there.
ReplyDeleteMy best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl and Frankie boy wants to replace mean jean with Kim Gardner. I guess it's pretty serious.
ReplyDeleteWake up Jackson County - you're watching Baker and her Council Minions take over the running of the County.
ReplyDeleteShe's nothing but the Prosecuting Attorney, and can't handle that job well, but suddenly she's running things.
This is as bad as when Brownback left Kansas to run around kissing butts in D.C., and Kobach tried to take over.
Snowflakes and the coloreds are gonna be the death of all of us!
ReplyDeleteIm much more worried bout a random bullet than a snowflakes tears and constant fucking whining.
DeleteMean Jean is at least in so many words saying how the jail is being ran isn't working but is the current Sheriff really capable of solving the issue? Forte's performance record isn't something one would want to brag on unless it's to show how to get paid insane amounts of overtime while not having anything to show for it.
ReplyDelete^^^ +100 Dave is right. Forte's record doesn't inspire much confidence.
DeleteI'll only offer this small point. At least giving authority to the sheriff offers more accountability to voters in the long run. If you don't like how the jail is being run, you know who to blame. The voters can voice their opinion by picking another candidate. It's not perfect but it's some way to hold people accountable beyond appointees who are selected largely in anonymity.
It's like someone asked Mean Jean "can you find a worse way to run a jail"? And she did!
ReplyDeleteBad plan. Hope the legislature is smart enough to reject it and move on to something that works.
ReplyDeleteFrank "No Show" White had another engagement? What? Another secret meeting with Mike Sanders? A T-bone practice? A golf date?
ReplyDeleteFrank White, Jean Petersucker Baker and Forte. The three fucking Stooges. This fucking county will never recover from their incompetence
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I'm rooting for Mean Jean and Forte, but I think that's the way to go. A Sheriff should run the jail. Things are so bad that Forte is their only hope.
ReplyDeleteFrank is a complete chickey shit, not showing up today to face people, just hiding behind written statements somebody else obviously wrote, letting a little prick like Caleb Clifford insult the citizens who served on the grand jury, and more interested in covering up what's happening in the jail than facing the crisis.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me like BK Christopher is politicking for the job of Jail Administrator. What experience does she have manàging a that make her qualified to declare the currennt jail mismanaged, but not in need of replacement? She's a medical malpractice attorney, and doesn't know shit about running a large jail. She's a small time political hack who's parroting what someone else told her to say.
ReplyDeleteForte doesn't know anything about running a jail. When he was Chief he farmed out the detention unit to JACO jail and closed the HQ detention to score political points with the city council. So,KCPD didn't have a jail when he was in charge. He doesn't have the experience to run the jail.
ReplyDeleteThe most Common sense statement made in this entire Jail Fiasco yet !
ReplyDelete“There’s a 'management issue'.
There’s a safety and cleanliness issue," grand juror BK Christopher told the legislature Monday.
"Building new jail is "NOT" going to fix that problem unless we learn how to "manage the jail we have".”
That being TRUE and the case , then WHY haven't the citizewns of KCMO / Jackson County seen anybody FIRED and removed, those responsible, so far all we've seen is a few Degenerate Jail Guards arrested for allowing contraband inside the jail.
Several TOP Management officials need to be FIRED immediately !!
The citizens of KCMO / Jackson County should demand it !!
IF, this were any other private business run like this, or company, Firings would already of happened !!
Evidently ~ there are upper echelon officials who are NOT capable of running a Damn Lemonade stand , yet somehow they are allowed to run & manage a Fuckin' Jail ???????????????????????????
What kind of BULLSHIT are city & county officials tryin' to pull here ??????
An earlier commentator suggested that the inmates run the jail.
ReplyDeleteActually, the inmates would probably do a better job running Jackson County government than the current crop of losers.
As in, the inmates running the asylum.
And if you start moving government buildings and jobs out of downtown, the great majority of jobs there would be gone.
Then you'd be left with little more than $15 artisnal cocktail bars, cold brew coffee shops, and overpriced "luxury" apartments.
And THE streetcar.
Fantasyland on the plains.
THIS IS SICK SHIT HAPPENING IN OUR JAIL AND FRANK WHITE CAN'T BOTHER TO SHOW UP! What a coward. Anyone want to bet he sends out another "written statement" today? From what I can tell the guy is a do-nothing who just wants to collect a fat pay check.
ReplyDeleteThose grand jurors were too nice in response to Frank's attack on their report. The one who asked that the report not be buried has to love that there's no mention of it on the county website.
@8:13 stated the jail does not belong in downtown. Sounds like one of mayor Slies shrills pushing and moving KCMO forward as the jail taints Slies image of KCMO. More importantly the jail is a drawback for keeping the 25 million tourists downtown.
ReplyDeleteSlie does not want anything negative in the downtown area whether it is the jail, homeless, murders, crime, low income housing, or poor infrastructure. Slie wants to move the blight elsewhere.
I thought I would read all about this on The Star web site, but can't find one mention of it on the home page. The Star must really need those property tax breaks, so they are covering for Frank White.
ReplyDeleteWhy hasn't a federal judge already stepped in?
ReplyDeleteMake
ReplyDeleteLockup
Kinder