Atlanta jailers upset about cutbacks

The Atlanta chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL–CIO sent out a press release urging people to “Tell the city ‘no’ to removing officers from jails.” It reads:

The City Council’s proposed staffing cuts at the city jail will risk the safety of Atlanta families.

Atlanta’s jails are already understaffed — it’s a dangerous situation that will only get worse if we reduce the number of officers protecting the jail.

A couple of weeks ago, a public budget hearing at City Hall was packed with angry jailers who condemned cutbacks in their department, explaining to Council members that jail officers have thankless jobs where they are routinely spat upon and verbally abused by inmates.

A few observations: For starters, as a homeowner who lives a couple miles from downtown, I can honestly say that, between cuts in the police force and cuts in the jail staff, I’ll take cuts at the jail any day. The city clearly doesn’t have enough money to keep all departments at full strength; the jail is lower priority than many other city functions.