A South Georgia mayor is proposing $3 million in safety improvements at the jail where a guard was stabbed to death by an inmate a week ago.
Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller said he wants to reassure jailers of their safety and has urged county commissioners for emergency funding that would go toward replacing malfunctioning cell doors that inmates are now able to force open.
The call for reinforced security comes less than a week after Bibb County Deputy Christopher Knight was slain with his own knife while working the overnight shift at the Bibb County Jail, which is operating with infrastructure that is more than 40 years old.
As many as 300 cells in the oldest part of the jail have doors that can be jammed open, and Bibb County Sheriff David Davis told local news outlets Monday that up to 40% are malfunctioning at any time.
Authorities don’t believe the faulty doors played a role in the death of Knight, 30, whose funeral service is planned for 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Macon City Auditorium and will be open to the public.
Inmate Albert Booze allegedly stabbed Knight to death as he was being moved to a different cell, investigators said.
“There is no secret that there’s been some issues with the outdated and antiquated jail locks,” Mayor Miller said at a news conference. “There is no need to wait till budget time. We’re not gonna let money get in the way of public safety.”
Knight, an employee of the department since 2018, will be buried in a private ceremony at Macon Memorial Park on Mercer University Drive, according to WMAZ.
Gov. Brian Kemp has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff Tuesday at the state Capitol and in Bibb County during the memorial service.
Davis said in February that the county needs to consider a new jail, adding the county could save money if courts and the jail were located beside each other, eliminating the need to transport inmates.
The sheriff also said the county is hiring part-time jailers to increase staff. The sheriff’s department overall is about 100 deputies short of being fully staffed.
Miller said he also wants to spend an additional $500,000 on maintenance issues such as mold and mildew that was criticized earlier this year when grand jurors conducted their annual jail inspection.
At the same time, the mayor has called on the Georgia Department of Corrections emergency team to conduct shakedowns and help train jailers.
Information provided by The Associated Press was used to supplement this report.
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