SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon announced a new proposal to move jail operations out of downtown Syracuse and instead build a centralized public safety campus in Jamesville during tonight’s State of the County address — a major shift from a previously approved plan that aimed to consolidate facilities in the city center.
“When you look at everything going on in the community… we should be thinking about what corporate headquarters are gonna be in our downtown… not a prison,” McMahon said.
A shift from the original plan
The county’s original plan, approved in 2023, aimed to merge the Jamesville Correctional Facility into the downtown Justice Center. Leaders at the time said the move would cut costs and address staffing shortages.
The proposal faced pushback, most notably from Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley, who questioned the long-term viability of continuing operations at the aging downtown facility, given the lack of personnel…