Discussion will continue on jail occupancy order

Greenville's fire chief said the city would not immediately enforce an occupancy order that could compel the Pitt County Detention Center to reduce its population by up to 104 inmates.

The city fire inspector issued an order on Monday that the jail reduce its 508-inmate population for safety reasons. Chief Mike Burton said Thursday that further discussions determined the building may be able to safely house more than the 404 occupancy load set under the state building code.

He said in a news release that no action would be taken until the proper load is determined, which he hoped would occur in the next two to three days.

Burton's release was issued hours after Pitt County Sheriff Mac Manning sent an alert to local media outlets protesting the inspector's order. “To comply with this order would cause considerable disruption to jail services and compromise the public safety in Pitt County,” Manning's release stated. The jail has 404 cell bunks. Monday's inmate population was 508. The additional 104 additional people sleep on mattresses, Manning said.

“Inmates in the custody of Pitt County are afforded a mattress to sleep on in a warm dry place, three meals a day, hot showers, the opportunity to make telephone calls and 24-hour medical service,” the release said.

“The conditions in which Pitt County inmates are housed, even under occasional overcrowded conditions, are far better circumstances than our soldiers who are living and sleeping in bunkers and foxholes in hostile foreign lands.”

Burton said Monday's inspection was prompted by an anonymous telephone complaint received on Oct. 23. A series of discussions took place following the inspection between city and county officials, Burton said, including representatives from the city building inspector's office and fire department and the detention center.

“As a result of these discussions, it has been determined that 404 may not be the actual load of the Pitt County Detention Center. The occupant load is based on provisions of the North Carolina State Building Code and is determined by the Greenville chief building inspector,” Burton said.

The chief said the city and county are cooperating to determine the correct load, and until then no additional action will be taken.

“Continued discussions and meetings are expected as we work together to seek the appropriate resolution,” Burton said.

Manning called the order ill-timed because a 192-bed addition is scheduled to open within 90 days.

The state also recently granted the county certification to operate at a cell bunk capacity of 596 inmates.

“We've had overcrowded conditions now, off and on, for four and a half years,” Manning said. “It is a bit strange that they would come up and issue this order right now at this late date.”

The city fire inspector's office conducts an annual review of the detention center, but had never cited the detention center for crowding even though the county has struggled with the problem since mid-2004.

During that time, the state jail inspector warned the detention center would be found out-of-compliance if the crowding problem wasn't address.

A May 2005 newspaper article about the problem said while the jail's occupancy was 404 the state allowed the facility to accommodate up to 450 detainees.