City and county officials hope to renovate a portion of the Lincoln Police Department’s old fleet garage to use as a detoxification center — part of a plan to replace the services provided by a nonprofit that will end Oct. 1.
A proposed interlocal agreement between the city and Lancaster County would allow the local governments to pursue bids to renovate the north end of the city-owned building at 635 J St. using up to $2 million of the county’s federal stimulus funds.
City and county officials have been looking for a place for law enforcement to take intoxicated people since a nonprofit agency known as The Bridge announced in May it would not renew contracts with law enforcement agencies to offer the services it has provided for the past 40 years.
The Bridge’s decision not to renew contracts with Lincoln police and other area law enforcement agencies for what’s called “civil protective custody†— once known as detox — was driven largely by staffing issues caused by a serious nursing shortage, a situation that came to a head last fall when the agency’s board voted to temporarily close the protective custody unit.
Although The Bridge contracted with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, the Nebraska State Patrol and area law enforcement agencies, by far the biggest user of the services was LPD.
LPD’s contract with The Bridge runs out at the end of September, so city and county officials were scrambling to find a replacement.
The interlocal is part of the proposed solution — but the group of city, county, hospital and nonprofit officials looking for alternatives is exploring additional options, said Sara Hoyle, the county’s human services director.
The renovated space in the police garage will be a place for officers to bring people to wait for a responsible person to pick them up, Hoyle said.
That includes those ticketed for DUI as well as others who police think are a danger to themselves or others but don’t need to be in jail.
The space will be able to hold about 10 people, but could be expanded on Husker football game days to 20 people when demand is higher, Hoyle said.
It will be staffed by a treatment provider, possibly CenterPointe, she said.
While the space is a safe place for intoxicated people to wait for someone to come get them, it also allows officers to better use their time instead of having to look for and wait for someone to come get those they’ve taken into custody, Police Chief Teresa Ewins said.
City and county officials also are talking to officials at the City Mission about using some of the beds for homeless people taken into custody, Hoyle said.
Pastor Tom Barber, CEO at the People's City Mission, said discussions are still in the early stages, but if the city pays for the overnight staffing needed for such a venture, he would offer 10 beds in the mission’s Curtis Center.
The Curtis Center has 60 one-room apartments for men waiting for federal housing vouchers, but is also used by the state and county for those on parole and probation.
“We’re not willing to lose money, but we’re willing to help out,†Barber said.
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The group looking for alternatives to The Bridge is following a different model than the one used for many years, trying to address people’s different needs, Hoyle said.
“We are really trying to find targeted services for the population instead of having them all go to one place,†she said.
People interested in going to a voluntary program or getting treatment could go to The Bridge’s voluntary program or Bryan Hospital’s Independence Center, Hoyle said.
The remodeled police garage space will use recliners instead of beds, and would not have the bare, locked rooms like the space at The Bridge.
Those cells were among the concerns the nonprofit’s leaders had with the protective custody portion of its services, and it had a long-term goal of transitioning away from protective custody.
Medicaid had stopped funding the protective custody program because it wasn’t accredited and state officials deemed it incarceration, not behavioral health. The Bridge officials also were concerned because it didn’t follow best practices, as its voluntary detox program does.
But instead of temporarily closing the protective custody unit last fall, The Bridge ended up pulling staff from its voluntary program to keep the protective custody unit open after the director said she got a call from county officials saying she’d be in breach of contract if she temporarily closed it.
During that time, county officials, worried that The Bridge didn’t intend to continue the protective custody services, set aside $2 million of its American Rescue Plan Act funds to deal with the situation if the contracts weren’t renewed.
Hoyle said she doesn’t know what renovations will cost because they can’t bid the project until both the City Council and County Board approve the interlocal agreement.
The County Board will vote on the agreement Tuesday; the City Council will vote on it July 25.
Two years ago, the City-County Planning Commission approved a plan to surplus the property so it could be sold after LPD moved its fleet garage to 100 Oak Creek Drive.
But the city still owns the property and LPD uses it to store equipment.
The building has a garage door where law enforcement officers can enter to bring people in custody, and a reception area, and it’s close to LPD, Hoyle said.
The new space won’t be ready by Oct. 1, when The Bridge contract ends, so officials are also looking for a temporary location to take people until the renovations are complete.
Hoyle said she expects to have a temporary location pinned down and ready by Oct. 1. They hope to have the police garage renovated by early next year, she said.
County officials worried about the impact the end of The Bridge contracts would have on the jail — because it would have been the only alternative placement for people.
County Commissioner Sean Flowerday said he’s hopeful the new space and finding other alternatives for the homeless or those who have no place to go will keep the jail numbers down.
No one involved thinks jail is the best long-term solution, he said, and looking for different placements for people will be good for the community.
“I’m really hopeful about this,†he said. “I think it will be a great solution … meeting people where they’re at, more tailored courses for people in the long run will be better for the community and better for people who use the services.â€
City and county officials hope to use federal surplus funds to renovate a portion of the former Lincoln Police Department's fleet garage at Seventh and J streets as a "protective custody" space for law enforcement to take intoxicated people who need to sober up but don't need to go to jail.