where_were_you wrote on Jul 1, 2009 8:55 PM:

" dmr: do you live under a rock somewhere? where were you when this went to public vote? this detention center is being built on a bond which went to public vote.
You want people punished for crimes they commit (sensible) but don"t want to see the building where it happens?
The current county jail was built way outside of Nogales in the mid-70's, then the City annexed and......there it is in the center of Nogales, not two blocks from the new one which YOU have a problem with.
Please get real!
Encourage your elected officials to create the recreational facilities you speak of. "




Carlos wrote on Jun 30, 2009 5:56 PM:

" Not only is the location of the new complex in the center of city attaction, it is a very enpensive project that the people of the community voted for and much rather built a Jail to house a federal government problem, rather than built a community hospital at a fraction of the cost of this this new jail and better serve the community. Now the tax payers have to fetch the price of managing the overhead of this new jail houose facility, rather than spend taxes on improving the health. This is sad. "




Rioriccian wrote on Jun 30, 2009 2:45 PM:

" Should have put it in Rio Rico. Rio Rico is already a mish mash of junk buildings. "




dmr wrote on Jun 29, 2009 12:01 PM:

" Whether it's a jail or a prison, I still don't think the center of the town is a good location for this building. Like others have stated above, this is a bad impression for tourists or even for people just driving by like someone mentioned above. Either way it is still a bad impression. Second, jails and prisons should be built in remote locations or at least a few miles away from the town and away from the courthouse. I'll try to make this short, stop building more correctional facilities or jails(whatever you want to call them) and build more things for the community. It is very sad to see that we cant host any tournaments for sports related activities due to the lack of parks. Helll, I SAY WE BUILD A TENT CITY JUST LIKE ARPAIO.MAKE THOSE DAMNN CRIMINALS PAY!! "




Zero-1 wrote on Jun 28, 2009 1:51 PM:

" He is obvioulsy being cynical drescribing it has a prison. His point is clear that any type of incarceration holding center is not a pretty thought. The imagery that it portrays showcasing on the hill side says it all. I think the council memebers from the city arguing and not doing their duty, only stinting the prosperity and growth in scc and nogales somes it all up of how our beautiful country county runs! Yall are right that only we should've been the ones to stop this. Of course it should be us to put better leadership to work. "




aaR wrote on Jun 26, 2009 5:12 PM:

" I agree, do some research first. The new building is a jail as in where they will be held until sentenced. It is not just a jail but a new courthouse. The current courthouse is over crowded and there is not much room, as well as the Sheriffs jail, it is over crowed. The courthouse will have more attorney offices as well as court rooms. "




Do some research first wrote on Jun 24, 2009 8:20 PM:

" Mr. Coppola (Jr.?):
Prior to writing something that will make you a spectacle of the readers of this venue, I would suggest you do some research first.
First of all, it is a Jail and not a Prison, you can probably research the difference on your own. Second of all, it is being built on property that is already within the control (ownership) of the County (makes sense financially). Third, since it will also house the communications center (911, dispatch, etc) it is being built on high ground (the current facility haas flooded when the Nogales wash overruns its banks).

Now, I ask you, how is this new detention facility any different of a risk than the current one? Do you even know where the current one is? Have you considered at what point the flight risk of a detainee is the highest? When was the last "jail break" in Nogales that causes you to have so much concern? Have you taken the time to look at the construction of a jail...the detail of solid block walls and impassable air corridors?

I would guess probably not.

The fact that there is a hotel and school within a mile are irrelevant when it comes to tourism. Tourists aren't going to visit a school and Nogales is not a tourist attraction for many reason. The few tourists that visit Nogales park at the border and walk across to the curious shops.

In case you haven't noticed, Nogales is a strategic connection point. People come here for work or family reasons but not on vacation. The remaining people that stop here are "just passing through".

The fact that a jail sits high on a hill should be a constant reminder to one and all that you will wind up there if you do not stay on the "straight and narrow".

So, relax about all the hype you write about and accept the fact that the jail which was planned along time ago is finally to become a reality and the current facility which is a risk and maintenance nightmare is soon to be retired into an administrative office or warehouse.

Instead, congratulate your elected officials for making a solid (rock) move into securing those deprived of liberty for legal reasons and moving the lifeline of emergency services (communications) out of the flood plane.

And, no, I do not work for the Sheriff or county, I just pay attention.

Good day! "




Judith Hendrickson wrote on Jun 23, 2009 4:04 PM:

" Manuel Coppola’s Letter to the Editor questioned the wisdom of locating the new Santa Cruz County Detention Center in the middle of Nogales. Having spent 25 years working at another county detention facility in Arizona, I can think of a couple of reasons why the location may have been selected. The County may have already owned that piece of property, and saved a substantial sum using what they already own instead of buying land. The Courts are located right next door, in the County Complex. If there will be a secure walkway link between the jail and courts, it will save a substantial amount of money in inmate transport costs, including vehicle purchases, maintenance and the staff required to transport inmates to and from a distant location. Security during inmate movement to court is greatly enhanced if you don’t have to load inmates into a transport vehicle and drive several miles over public roadways to and from the courts each day.

Risk of escape from the facility is easily minimized if the design of the building includes an emphasis on a secure perimeter, which ensures the opportunity for inmate escape will be almost non-existent. A secure perimeter includes not only double fencing and razor wire, but also a system where no single staff member in contact with inmates has the ability to go from inmate areas to outside the jail... It also means that there are secure control rooms which have electronic and sight and sound control over every door leading to outside the jail and are remote from the housing areas.

Locating a jail in a remote area does have some drawbacks. Response time to the jail for the fire department and ambulance service to respond to an emergency is increased. Inmate visitors could complain that a remote location without regular public bus service discriminates against the poor who cannot afford automobiles and inhibits their opportunities to visit inmates -creating a golden opportunity for groups like the ACLU to make an issue of it.

Certainly there are some negative consequences of the in town location. Vandalism to vehicles parked in the area surrounding the new jail may be frequent. If there is a publicly accessible roadway connection between the County Complex and the new jail, inappropriate behavior by people visiting inmates at the jail will be an ongoing issue and may be disturbing to employees and visitors at the County Complex next door. The increase in vehicle traffic in the area may result in acts of vandalism to the County Complex buildings

If there are windows in the inmate housing areas that allow inmates a view of the area surrounding the jail, some female visitors will readily expose themselves to inmates peering out the windows. Visitors signaling to inmates are another result of ill placed windows. If the recreation yards are not within a secure, enclosed area without a view of the area surrounding it, attempts to throw handcuff keys, drugs, weapons, cell phones and cigarettes over the fences surrounding the recreation yards will be frequent.

Although there are those that will object, it is a fact that not all people visiting inmates are sterling pillars of the community. The location of the jail is likely to bring some pretty unsavory characters into the area. In addition, inmates released from the jail are going to be released right in the middle of town. Without a pre-arranged ride home from a friend or relative, released inmates will be strolling down Grand Avenue and Mariposa looking for a ride. The proximity to I-19 makes the new jail vulnerable to fumes from a toxic spill incident on I-19 should one ever occur, and could require mass evacuation of nearby buildings, including the jail. Although many jails suffer this same liability, it should be a consideration when a location is decided. I can also think of valid reasons why all other functions- Communications, Sheriff’s Administration offices and the courts, should all be distanced from the jail, but in the interests of brevity- I’ll leave that one alone.

No matter where a jail is built, it‘s always a ‘damned if you and damned if you don’t’ situation; no location pleases everyone. We can only hope the decision was made because the plus factors outweigh the minus factors, and that the finished facility will look, at least from a distance, more like a well designed office building or hotel rather than a southwestern style dungeon. "




pamela coates wrote on Jun 23, 2009 10:42 AM:

" There were plenty of "town meetings" discussing the placement of this jail and its reasons for the location selected
I remember Sheriff Tony Estrada speaking to us folks in RIo Rico, and if I may paraphrase, the thought for the jail being placed where it was finally decided for CONVENIENCE It is next to the courthouse where the prisoners would have to appear, and if I remember correctly, there was to be an area connecting both so that the prisoners would not be driven there with the greater chance of escape. There is also an area where families could visit.
There were plenty of meetings regarding this subject, but most folks are TOO LAZY TO ATTEND and when something comes up that was beaten to death - OH I DIDN'T KNOW THAT - WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN - AND WHY WASN'T I INFORMED
PAMELA COATES "

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