Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is escalating her campaign to close the mostly-empty Atlanta City Detention Center and transform it into a “community center.” New Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat opposes closure and wants the county to assume control in order to house more inmates during a rising violent crime wave.
Bottoms this week insulted the sheriff, calling him simply “a jailer.” “For him to have a job,” she said, “people have to go to jail, so that’s his interest.” The mayor also says using the 11-story building to jail people won’t ease the crime problem.
Labat, in a statement obtained by InsiderAdvantage, hit back:
“… (A)fter hearing these comments today, it is obvious that she is in a tough fight to try and win re-election…. I was disappointed to learn of her comments. Unlike many on the opposing side of the issue, this is not personal for me. While I ran the city of Atlanta Jail successfully for 10 years, I am not merely a ‘jailer.’… As sheriff, I am responsible for not only the jails but also the court system and the overall public safety of the county. I took an oath and have a constitutional responsibility to house those persons who are detained and placed in my care. Further, I have a duty to do so humanely. To say that I need people to ‘go to jail in order for me to have a job’ is untrue and disheartening.”
“It is disingenuous for the mayor to engage in talks with Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts regarding this specific matter without including me,” the sheriff continued. “As I understand it, a Letter of Intent was sent by the mayor to Chairman Pitts which offered 150 beds for reentry. However, as a short-term solution, Fulton County needs approximately 500 beds in order to meaningfully address the issues at hand. I was elected sheriff because people care about safety and security. Whether we need a safe jail with humane operations and rehabilitation services has nothing to do with keeping me in office. Instead, it is a direct result and function of whether we are able to reduce violent crime. If the mayor decides to take a personal interest in that, we might be able to find some common ground on this issue.”
In the meantime, Atlanta Councilman Michael Julian Bond has a resolution to create a joint city-county task force to consider partnering with Fulton, which the mayor opposes. A competing measure to close the jail is pushed by Bottoms and will be discussed Monday before a Council public safety committee.
