Allen County Sheriff's Department

But those monitoring the population at the downtown jail worry about the sustainability of this solution to overcrowding.

The lawsuits filed by a group of citizens attacking the funding structure of the planned jail have delayed the project, and attorneys representing inmates want to have the court step in.

In a letter dated Tuesday, the commissioners urged the council to adopt the local income tax rate to fund the $300 million jail ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline.

Superior Court Judge Fran Gull says that moving it completely away from the center of the criminal justice system is costly and potentially dangerous.

Traffic going northbound on Interstate 69 has been slowed or shut down due to car crashes at the Goshen Road exit at least four times in the last week.

The county saw an increase in animal bites from 2020 to 2021.

The coalition has spoken out against building a new jail in the county, instead urging mental health treatment to solve an overcrowding issue.

The plan is part of a federal lawsuit to combat jail overcrowding.

2022 Primary

A local community coalition is urging county commissioners to focus more on prevention and community care, rather than incarceration.