By Patrick Wilson
The Virginian-Pilot
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The city has hired retired Virginia Beach Sheriff Paul Lanteigne as a consultant to advise police on booking jail inmates, a duty the department took over from Sheriff Bill Watson about two months ago.
Lanteigne will be paid up to $7,000 for up to 87.5 hours of work during a three-month period, the contract states. He will report to police Chief Ed Hargis, who agreed to take over jail booking from the sheriff’s office in June after Watson said he had to reduce services because of state and local budget cuts.
State law says inmate booking is the responsibility of local police, although in some cities, such as Portsmouth, sheriffs had taken over the duty.
The process includes fingerprinting, photographing and entering data on new prisoners at the City Jail. The Police Department recently converted a room in police headquarters adjacent to the jail to be used for booking. Watson also turned over processing of concealed weapons permits and sex offenders to the city police.
Watson said Tuesday that he offered booking training to the Police Department but was rejected. City officials, however, appeared taken aback in July when Watson told them the police would need to book new charges on current inmates in the jail in addition to newly arrested prisoners.
City Attorney Tim Oksman released a copy of the contract with Lanteigne on Tuesday, but a city spokeswoman said further information was not available about why the city is hiring him as an independent contractor.
Lanteigne said he was called by Oksman. He said he will examine how resources are being used and look for efficiencies. According to the contract, he also may advise the police on related issues.
Lanteigne was sheriff of Virginia Beach from August 2000 to January , overseeing a $38 million jail expansion there. He also served as a police officer, city councilman and School Board member.
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