Police1 Staff Report
(FAIRFIELD, Iowa) -- Inmates of the Jefferson County Law Enforcement Center thinking that their initial court hearing could mean at least a change of scenery can think again.
A $70,000 audio-visual system linking the 32-bed jail to the Jefferson County Courthouse will allow initial appearance electronically.
As soon as next week the inmates will make their appearance over closed-circuit television.
Sheriff Frank Bell told the Fairfield Ledger that the system will mean an “amazing savings in manpower.”
“Sometimes, we have four or five people in the courtroom at the same time,” Bell told the newspaper.
Policy dictates that an equal number of correctional officers accompany inmates to court, the newspaper reported.