Idaho County Attempts to Keep Jail Numbers Below Limit

CALDWELL, Idaho (AP) — Attorneys and judges in southwestern Idaho are taking steps to make sure the number of inmates in the Canyon County jail doesn't go over a limit set by a federal judge.

But the Idaho Press-Tribune reports some of the steps taken to reduce the jail population are causing problems for law enforcement officials in neighboring Ada County. The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho sued over jail crowding on behalf of inmates at the Canyon County jail a few years ago, and now the county must limit the number of inmates housed at the jail.

But Boise police officers contend that now, when they make contact with someone who has a warrant in Canyon County, they can't make an arrest because Canyon County often won't extradite the offenders.