To the editor:
Your story on the rising population in the Hancock County Jail ("Startling numbers," Feb. 27, Page A1) was very revealing. Just as the legislature began requiring Level 6 felons to remain in local jails, the number of Level 6 cases filed by Prosecutor Brent Eaton skyrocketed from 129 a year in 2014 to 653 last year!
Was this a choice made by Eaton, or did the sheriff and police suddenly decide to arrest that many more people?
Do the math. If the number sent to jail had remained the same, or even just doubled, we would not have to build a new jail and add huge numbers of jailers to the county payroll. This emphasis on putting people in jail will cost taxpayers a ton.
The council and commissioners should find out why this great increase in criminal filings is happening. Giving the prosecutor another deputy is not a solution; it will add to the problem.
Instead of looking for ways to spend money, our elected officials should look for ways to save it.
Karl Belt
Greenfield
