Citizens should take part in jail discussion

For as long as most of us can remember, Nebraska officials have been talking about regionalization -- of county government, of state agencies, of schools and -- most recently -- of jails.

Just last week, Nebraska State Sen. Tom Baker of Trenton suggested that local government boards across the state may want to hold off on jail plans because the state is considering "Public Service Access Points."

For most of us, Public Service Access Points is a new term, but we think the senator is referring to regional dispatching centers. According to Sen. Baker, there are now 87 dispatching centers in the state, but, in his opinion, the state needs only eight or nine such facilities.

The senator's point is debatable. Yes, it might be more "efficient" to have regional dispatching centers, serving 10 to 12 counties each, but a lot would be lost, especially local knowledge in emergency situations. In McCook, for example, a dispatcher now has a good idea where to send the ambulance if a caller reports, "There's a man down in the reservation in that brick house on the corner north of the park." It's doubtful that same knowledge would exist if the dispatching center were to be moved to North Platte, or some other distant location.

But -- even harder to understand -- is how the possible future creation of "Public Service Access Points" has a bearing on Red Willow County's consideration of a new jail facility. Such legislation -- to force consolidation or regionalization of jails -- does not exist, and to speak of such a possibility at this point is premature.

As local residents -- with responsibility for the operation of city and county government -- we would put ourselves in an awkward, and possibly vulnerable, position if we were to wait until the state legislature acts.

We might be waiting five years, or ten years, or more. And, Sen. Baker and many of his fellow senators would not be around to guide the legislation because of term limits.

What the citizens of Red Willow County need to do is study seriously the recommendations of Mark Martin and Gary Bowker of Allied Correctional Services. After a four-month study, the consultants are recommending that the county build its own jail rather than continue to transport prisoners to jails outside the county.

Citizens can find out more Tuesday evening at a meeting of the Jail Task Force. The discussion will take place at the commissioners room in the Red Willow County Courthouse, beginning at 6 p.m. Public involvement is important because the plan needs to be judged on its own merits, not future possibilities which may or may not materialize.