The El Paso County Jail, located at 2739 E. Las Vegas Street, is at a critical point in managing the inmate population as it reached record highs today of 1,839.  “The only jail in El Paso County is again bursting at the seams,” says Sheriff Bill Elder of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.  The last record was set in August of 2017 with 1,791 inmates.  At today’s population, the jail is at a critical place in which the Sheriff and the staff are feeling the pressures of too many inmates and not enough space or personnel. 

The population of the jail has steadily increased over the past five years seeing the daily population increase from 1,375 inmates in 2012 to 1,839 as of today.  Those numbers impact the safety of both staff and inmates as it increases the likelihood of fights and assaults within the jail.

“My number one priority is the impact this situation has on our deputies in the jail.  We will continue to focus on jail staffing until we find a more permanent solution.  Building a new jail or adding to the existing facility is just not an option.  My jail Command Staff and I continue to explore and implement ways to manage our jail population including moving inmates to other facilities within the state” says Sheriff Elder.