MOSCOW, Idaho — This week, Moscow City Council discussed what impacts it will face if the Latah County Jail closes.
If the jail closes, Moscow City Staff said police would need to take people in custody to the Nez Perce Detention Center in Lewiston for booking and detention. Travel and booking is expected to take Moscow officers about two hours round trip.
City staff say Moscow PD is currently operating with a minimum of three officers on patrol. At this rate, the city says it can't afford to regularly lose one of those officers to the two-hour trips to Lewiston.
Some council members expressed frustration with the potential closure of the jail.
"I have a really hard time seeing [it] and digesting it and then trying to piece together how the heck we got to hear at a commissioner meeting that it's even on the table that it should be closed," Hailey Lewis, a Moscow City Councilmember, said.
City staff also expect it will need an officer always on call for transportation to Lewiston outside of business hours. This would cost an additional $80,000 a year for the city. To make up for the loss of a designated transport officer, city staff say it would need to hire three more officers.
Latah County Commissioners have not yet decided on the closure of the jail.