PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cass County Jail Expansion Project Completed
Public Information Officer:
January 20th, 2022
Major Kevin Tieman,
Cass County Sheriff’s Office
816-380-8615
On Thursday Cass County Sheriff Jeff Weber hosted county officials and a small number of local reporters to tour parts of the jail’s recent construction project. The Cass County Justice Center Complex was completed in 2003. The construction plans at the time called for areas in the complex to accommodate a projected 20 years of additional growth. The 2003 phase of the jail was constructed with 136 beds.
“With the growth of Cass County in the last 17 years, there has been additional need for resources in public safety. These needs were addressed by the voters in 2016 with an extension to the Justice Center tax, allowing us to complete jail space to meet our increasing inmate population. Although we have never turned the “No Vacancy” light on, this addition allows us greater flexibility to provide safe adequate housing of our inmates”, said Sheriff Jeff Weber.
“I would like to thank Sheriff Weber and his staff for working so hard to be accountable for the money that citizens of Cass County voted to improve and expand the jail facilities. The new jail renovations came in on budget and time during very uncertain times in our country!” Presiding Commissioner Bob Huston.
In 2016, the voters passed an extension to the Justice Center Tax to allow for buildout of unfinished space in the complex.
Phase 1 of that tax allowed a buildout of the Courts, adding 2 courtrooms to the 3rd floor of the justice center and additional space. The 4th floor remains unfinished and available for future expansion needs.
Phase 2 started in fall of 2019 and consisted of a buildout in the jail that is completing now. This phase includes more staging area in the booking/intake area, for processing inmates. Completion of a female maximum-security cellblock to house 16 female inmates and 4 additional beds in female minimum security.
Completion of a new male maximum-security cellblock included 16 new beds, an addition of 16 beds to existing male maximum security. The project added a new minimum male dorm cellblock for 10 inmates and 3 new medical cells.
The project adds a total of 62 new beds, bringing the jail capacity from 136 to 198 beds in housing units and 7 medical cells.
The jail still has an additional 2 pods unfinished for 48 more beds for future expansion.
