Custody Facilities
Custody
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The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office operates
two jails, one in South Lake Tahoe and one in
the county seat, Placerville. The South Lake
Tahoe Jail opened in 1973 and had a major
remodel and addition in 1994. The Tahoe Jail has
been in operation for over 45 years and houses
up to 158 inmates. The Placerville Jail opened in
1988 and has been in operation for over 30
years. This facility houses up to 303 inmates.
In 2017, El Dorado County was awarded a 25
million dollar grant to expand the Placerville Jail
facility under Senate Bill 844. It has been a long
laborious road, but expansion plans are moving
forward. This is an exciting and needed project
that will provide some additional housing
space, program space and visitation rooms.
This addition will also provide enhanced
amenities to address ADA issues and a new
medical wing to better accommodate inmates
with advanced medical issues and mental
health concerns.
This year, the Sheriff's Office made many
necessary improvements throughout both jail
facilities. Modifications were made to increase
safety for inmates, the public and correctional
staff.
New LED lighting was installed in most
housing units in both facilities. This new
lighting not only increases visibility to
improve safety and security, but will also
reduce the monthly energy costs to the
county.
A large walk-in freezer was installed in the
Placerville Jail to increase storage space of
perishable foods. This will allow staff to
purchase food in bulk at a reduced price,
helping to decrease the cost per meal without
decreasing the nutritional content of the
food.
The property storage room has been
redesigned to maximize storage space and
efficiencies. This redesign also increased the
work space in the Detention Aide's office, to
allow for ergonomic enhancements and
improved work flow.
Attorney visiting booths have been
upgraded to increase Attorney/Client
confidentiality. A white noise sound system
was installed outside the booths to greatly
decrease the ability to hear conversations
occurring inside the booths.
Inmate safety, including potential to cause
self-harm, is a constant concern within the
custody environment. In an effort to increase
safety, some features within the housing
units and cells have been identified as
potentially dangerous and upgraded or
removed. This includes replacing shower
heads as well as stools located in some cells
that presented an increased risk.