ALDEN, N.Y. – Dozens of Incarcerated Individuals were forced to be relocated at the Erie County Correctional Facility Thursday after an issue with an air handler caused an air conditioning malfunction, Sheriff John Garcia said today.
A total of 65 incarcerated individuals were moved out of the Gulf and Hotel units, which collectively contain 96 podular cells. Those cells will remain out of service indefinitely until the air handler can be repaired. This development brings the total number of Jail Management Division cells out of service to 241: 144 at the Erie County Holding Center and 97 at the Erie County Correctional Facility. Meanwhile, the incarcerated population has increased from 717 to 760 – a 6% jump – in the last two weeks.
“This is yet another constraint on my already strained classification team,” said Sheriff Garcia. “With 241 cells unavailable, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to assign incarcerated individuals to appropriate units, while still honoring the necessary classification requirements. We are quite simply running out of available places to house our population.”
Several air handlers at Jail Management Division facilities, including the one that malfunctioned on Thursday, are already scheduled to be replaced as part of a $3 million project.