NEVADA — Officials from across Story County met at the sheriff’s office Wednesday to discuss the status of a three-month trial period that may permanently relocate all Ames inmates to the county jail.

The trial period, which began Jan. 28, eradicates the need for the Ames Police Department’s holding facility and transfers all people in custody directly to the Story County detention facility in Nevada.

Ames Assistant City Manager Bob Kindred said the experiment is the city’s effort to see if the city can do what ISU Police already do — relocate individuals to the county jail directly, making the incarceration process more efficient.

Kindred said the holding facility at the Ames Police Department is used primarily as an overnight facility for individuals committing less-severe crimes — a procedure Ames Police Commander Jim Robinson said brings both a liability to the department and additional duties to officers.

“The [Ames] holding facility is not classified as a detention facility,” Robinson said.

“Currently, dispatchers and officers are filling in for jailer duties.”

During the trial phase, inmates who are arrested in Ames for crimes like public intoxication are taken to the county jail where they typically spend the night. In the morning, they are given a preliminary hearing at the courthouse in Ames through a video phone, Robinson said.

By examining the 90-day trial phase, city and county officials will be able to determine whether the new process better serves the community which Robinson said also provides a safer environment for law enforcement officials and inmates.

“So far, the experiment has been positive,” he said. “There’s more interaction between agencies, and we’re developing better relations with those in the Story County office.”

Kindred said one thing his office will be evaluating is the plan’s manageability.

“We estimated an extra two to three short-term prisoners per day; long-term detainees would be taken there anyway,” he said.

During the meeting, Story County Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald cited numbers taken from the first 45 days of the trial phase.

Fifty-six percent of the people booked at the county detention facility are from the Ames and ISU Police Departments.

Forty-four percent of that are from the Ames Department, he said.

Fitzgerald raised concerns about the number of extra jailers his staff would need if the plan is implemented and also proposed that the two associate district court judges, who work out of the Ames Courthouse on the weekends, be present at Justice Center in Nevada for the remaining 45 days of the trial.

“If made permanent, we need to maintain communication. The only issue I have as sheriff is getting four extra personnel. Our jail staff has canceled days off and vacation to make this trial work,” he said. “We still need the staff even if we weren’t in this experimental stage.”

The Story County Board of Supervisors and the Ames City Council will decide whether the plan will be a permanent operation after the trial period is complete at the end of April.

But feedback from many agencies, including ISU Police, the Story County Sheriff’s Office and members of the district court, will also be considered, Kindred said.

For example, the city manager’s office will give its recommendation to the City Council and will base that recommendation to ensure the plan is “the most efficient and cost effective for Ames’ citizens,” he said.

Story County Board of Supervisor Don Toms said the plan needs to benefit both the city and the county if it is going to be passed.

“This is a good opportunity for us to look at it as a cooperative issue,” he said. “But first we need to look at what Ames can contribute.”

If the relocation procedure is approved, the holding facility in Ames might close; however, Robinson said it is too early to tell what the extra space from the facility would be used for.