Space issues at the Dallas County law enforcement facility are not new, in fact the jail itself has been over crowded for more than a dozen years now.

Next month voters will again have a chance to decide whether or not they are willing to approve a new 90 bed, 62,000 foot facility.  Last year, voters in Dallas County turned down a proposed bond referendum to build a conjoined law enforcement and administrative building.  In fact, as Chief Deputy and Jail Administrator Doug Lande explains residents in Dallas County have never approved a new jail.

“We did a little history on this and in our lobby we’ve got a photo of the Dallas County jail, in 1861 it was turned down by the public and 10 years later in 1871 the Board of Supervisors appropriated $5,000 to build a jail, and then that was in the 1800s.  The current facility that we’re in right now, was voted down in 1988 so that led the Board of Supervisors to, since the need was there, so even though it was voted down they constructed it anyways because of the need” says Lande.

The proposed new law enforcement center has an estimated total cost of $16.3 million, or $0.25 per $1,000 of valuation.