AKRON – The Summit County Sheriff’s Office held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, July 20 to mark the beginning of construction on a new sallyport and intake area at the Summit County Jail. It will be the first new addition to the jail since 1995.
The project is funded through a $2.9 million grant from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, with an additional $984,000 from Summit County. It is designed to improve the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of the jail’s booking process while expanding access to medical, mental health, and addiction treatment services from the moment individuals enter the facility.
The project includes three major components:
- The construction of a new sallyport. The sallyport is the secure point of entry for individuals arrested throughout Summit County, and the departure point for inmates transported to court appearances, hospital visits, extraditions, and other purposes. The new sallyport will eliminate bottlenecks created by the current “drive-through” layout, improving traffic flow, reducing wait times for law enforcement agencies, and creating a safer environment for deputies and inmates.
- The conversation of the old sallyport into a pre-booking area. The current sallyport will be transformed into a dedicated pre-booking area with a waiting area, medical and mental health exam rooms, a blood alcohol testing station, evidence storage area, and other support spaces. Medical professionals will be able to assess each individual’s physical and mental health immediately upon arrival, identify those in crisis, and developing individualized treatment plans including psychological treatment, addiction recovery programs, and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT).
- The renovation of the current intake area. The intake area will be modernized to improve workflow, security, and efficiency. Renovations include the addition of an ADA-accessible booking station, upgrades to holding cells, and improvements to the overall functionality and appearance of the space.
“The jail you see behind me houses between 550-600 inmates at any given time, and we book around 10,000 individuals each year,” said Sheriff Kandy Fatheree. “Every single one of those inmates passes through the sallyport and intake areas – some of them multiple times during their stay. That is why this project is so important.”…