MACON, Ga. — In Tuesday's commission meeting, Bibb County Sheriff David Davis says they've hit the ground running in terms of improving the conditions of the jail, but one item at the top of their list is trying to find ways to cut back on the inmates jamming the cell doors.
"There's a little track that the cell door goes along and that's where people can put debris, down in that track, and it gums up the door," says Davis.
Sheriff David Davis says on a regular basis, inmates are clogging up cell doors throughout the jail.
He says it creates possible safety issues for the deputies and other inmates.
"Creates a situation where they can wander freely on the cellblock, creates a situation where they can get out of their cell and go into another inmate's cell, have potential attacks," says Davis.
He says after discussions with an outside contractor, they've decided to test out possible solutions on a handful of cells to see if any of them work.
The first solution is a grid on the lower portion of the cell, which makes it harder for inmates to get their hands through and block the door trap.
The sheriff says regardless of which solution they choose, it will take time to implement in all 32 cellblocks.
"When you're working on a cellblock, you have to take all the inmates off that cell block for a period of time while you're doing that renovation."
He says they'll test out the grid solution for about a week before reevaluating, but for now, he says they're crossing other immediate upgrades off the list.
It includes adding new glass in the control rooms and getting rid of mold in different parts of the jail.
"We're trying to do a holistic approach to address these environmental concerns, the ventilation concerns for the health and the safety of both the officers and the inmates in the jail."
Davis says the hope is to have most of these improvements done or in the works over the next 16 weeks.