ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - In an exclusive conversation with KMOX, St. Louis City Sheriff Vernon Betts says Jefferson City politicians have been urging him to take over the troubled City Justice Center and could craft legislation to make it happen.
Betts says between the issues with deaths and drug overdoses at the jail and at the encouragement of Jefferson city politicians, he is taking operating the jail into consideration.
"I've run into several legislators and asked me 'Why don't I run the jail? We've heard about the issues at the jail and the situation (St. Louis) is having'" said Betts. "I just getting pushed from people around the state."
Betts says this encouragement from state politicians stems from the troubles the jail has seen of late.
"As they see stuff going on, everybody now kind of saying 'Vernon, you need to think about this. You need to think of the possibility of running the jail.'" said Betts.
If he were to decide he would like to take over the jail, Betts believes legislation would shortly follow.
"If I were to go ahead and say, 'yeah, I want to take over the jail,' I'm sure somebody would craft some legislation to try to make that happen. That's what I think is going on."
He adds that his conversations with politicians have not gotten into the topic of legislation at this time. Sheriff Betts has previously expressed no desire to run the City Justice Center but says he has began to come around to the idea of taking over.
"I previously have had no interest of running the jail, but I'm grieved with what's going on with our jail these days," said Betts. "The Oversight Board can't go in and see what's going on."
The City Justice Center has face growing problems in the past few years, from 10 detainees die in a little over two years, a correction officer taken hostage in August, a riot nearly breaking out a day later and is currently in the early stages of being audited by the state.
Clemons-Abdullah spoke to KMOX last month, and she still believed that she was the right person for the job despite increasing calls for her resignation.
"What I'm dealing with is not days or years (of problems), these are decades," said Clemons-Abdullah, "It's not going to change overnight, and it's going to take a while. It won't take a year and if someone thinks they can get a result in three months, that's not going to occur."
If a bill were to pass that would put all Missouri Sheriffs in charge of their local jail, Betts says he would anticipate pushback from St. Louis City politicians. Sheriff Betts is running for reelection in 2024.
KMOX has reached out to the mayor's office for a statement and is awaiting their response.
