LEBANON, Ore. — A jail in Lebanon, Ore. is allowing some low-risk incarcerated people to leave on weekends due to staffing shortages.
The jail released two people on Thursday, July 28 under the condition that they return on Monday, August 1.
"Not because we want to. It is because we are in this position that we want to be still be able to provide our citizens with that level of service," Lieutenant Ryan Padua told KEZI, KGW's news partner in Eugene.
People in the jail who are allowed to leave are required to sign paperwork saying they will be back on Monday, and they will face additional charges if they do not return.
Padua said those people are not supervised once they leave the building.
"We don't put a bracelet on them or track them in any way," Padua told KEZI. "Most of the crimes we deal with here are municipal level or misdemeanor level crimes, so it's nothing too hardcore, or felony level crimes."
Only two cells in the jail are currently being used, but it can hold up to twelve people at a time, KEZI reported.
The Lebanon Police Department has one full-time jail officer and six open positions. Padua said the police department hired an officer last week. Oregon requires someone to check on people in custody a minimum of once an hour, so patrol officers often have to fill the gap.
Padua said the jail will revisit operating full-time when the staffing level is up to where it needs to be.
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