SPOKANE-- There may be a change of leadership coming to the Spokane County Jail and Geiger Correctional Facility.
The City of Spokane is putting pressure on the county to reduce bed costs at the jail. It has county leaders thinking of ways they could streamline the system. Cutting the Sheriff out of the jail leadership is one proposal.
The Spokane County Jail in Downtown Spokane and Geiger Corrections Center are run by the jail commander captain John McGrath. He currently answers to Sherriff Ozzie Knezovich.
The County Commissioners are experiencing financial pressure from the City of Spokane and they're looking to get creative.
City leaders say they can't afford the cost of beds at the jail. Commissioners want to streamline the criminal justice system as a whole from the courts, probation, to the jail.
The plan may include removing the sheriff from the detention services equation. Then the jail commander would report directly to the commissioners.
The Sheriff says he's in on the discussion and if the change was made it would not impact the benefits or retirement packages corrections deputies currently have.
This is a very early discussion one that's been brought up in the past.
Commissioners hope to have a decision by the end of the year to coincide with the city's budget.
