"This is a mess": Fulton rescinds money to track detainees' health
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The Fulton County Commission yesterday repealed $2.1 million in funding it provided to the Sheriff's Office that would have put wristbands on jail detainees to monitor their biometrics.
Why it matters: The move comes weeks after questions were raised by members of the public and county commissioners about the rollout of the wristbands, including why so few detainees were wearing them since the contract was approved in April.
Catch up quick: At the request of Sheriff Pat Labat, commissioners in April approved $5.3 million in emergency funding to improve security and conditions at the Fulton County Jail.
- That funding included $2.1 million to purchase wearable devices made by Talitrix that would monitor the blood pressure and heart rates of detainees.
What they're saying: Commissioner Bob Ellis, who raised questions about the project at the board's Oct. 4 meeting, said they were told in April by the Sheriff's Office that 1,000 wristbands would be deployed to Rice Street detainees by July of this year.
Reality check: Labat said about 50 detainees are wearing them now at the jail in Alpharetta and another 15 at the main Rice Street jail have them.
- Joiner said the project to install the necessary technology in most of the Rice Street facility was ongoing.
Commissioner Dana Barrett said concerns raised by the board stem from a lack of communication. When the emergency funding was approved, it wasn't clear that Talitrix would need to install infrastructure inside the jail for the wearables to work.
- "It's incumbent upon you to overcommunicate," she told Labat and Joiner.
Yes, and: "This is a mess," said Commission Chair Robb Pitts, who introduced the motion to rescind the contract.
- "This is probably one of the worst contracts in my many years of public service that I've had anything to do with," he said later in the meeting.
The big picture: The jail has come under renewed scrutiny after community activists and the family of LaShawn Thompson, a detainee whose body was found in September 2022 covered in insect bites, criticized Labat over the jail's conditions.
- Fulton County later settled a lawsuit brought by the Thompson family over his death.
- The Department of Justice is carrying out a civil rights investigation into the jail, which has had 10 deaths this year.
Of note: The office of sheriff is a constitutional position and operates independently from the county. However, the Board of Commissioners sets the budget for and provides funding to the Sheriff's Office.
The bottom line: Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman asked Labat why Joiner answered most of the questions, despite the sheriff being the person who is ultimately responsible to voters.
- "It's not her name on those cars; it's not her name on the ballot, and the constituents need to hear from you," she said.