BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — The city of Birmingham has filed a lawsuit against Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway over allegedly refusing to accept inmates from the city.
The lawsuit, which was filed in civil court Friday morning, alleges that in his role as sheriff, Pettway has refused to accept inmates arrested by Birmingham Police officers.
The lawsuit gives one example of this policy from last October, when police arrested several people on misdemeanor and felony charges. When they were taken to the Jefferson County Jail, however, officers were informed that jail personnel could not accept anyone who had not had a warrant issued by a Jefferson County magistrate.
“Randall L. Woodfin, Mayor of the City, and Scott Thurmond, Chief of the Birmingham Police Department, contacted Sheriff Pettway shortly thereafter and held a conference call to discuss said policy. During the conference call, Sheriff Pettway confirmed that it was his policy to refuse to accept into his custody at the Jefferson County Jail prisoners transported thereto as the result of a warrantless arrest, even in those instances when the offense was committed in the presence of Birmingham Police Officers,” the lawsuit stated. “Sheriff Pettway also refused to accept into his custody at the Jefferson County Jail prisoners arrested by Birmingham Police Officers within the police jurisdiction of the City for misdemeanor offenses under State law.”