Beltrami County Seeks Federal Assistance for Jail

BELTRAMI COUNTY, MN – The Beltrami County Jail has experienced many challenges over the years and the County has been working with community leaders, tribal representatives, local government officials, the MN Department of Corrections, and State legislators on solutions moving forward. Most recently, several County Commissioners as well as County Administrator Tom Barry, Sheriff Jason Riggs and a variety of staff met with U.S. Representative Pete Stauber on February 16th to discuss the County Jail Project and request assistance from the Federal Government. Rep. Stauber took a tour of the current jail and spent an hour with County representatives discussing the issues and challenges with the Jail as well as opportunities for support from the Federal Government. Among the issues discussed were jail demographics and trends, DOC rule changes, staffing limitations, federal rules and legislative approaches, and possible federal participation in the design and construction of a new County jail.

"We are very grateful for the time Congressman Stauber spent touring our jail facility and meeting with staff and commissioners. His prior service as a 20-year veteran police officer and St. Louis County Commissioner was very beneficial in helping us develop a strategy for moving forward" said County Administrator Tom Barry. "Representative Stauber's commitment to law enforcement and his empathy and support for our staff and our challenges was very much appreciated" said Sheriff Jason Riggs. The County shared updates on the current jail project and the progress made to date indicating that financing a new facility would be a big lift for the County. "Rep. Stauber was very receptive to learning about the County's struggles and acknowledged the concerns and indicated his support for the County going forward" said Barry. Rep. Stauber will be working with his team on ways that his office and the Federal Government can support the County and its jail project moving forward.