News Editor

The short-term juvenile facility at the Troy City Jail has cleared the final hurdle to meeting all of the requirements of the

Alabama Department of Youth Services (ADYS).

According to Troy Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Benny Scarbrough, the facility, which was added to the police department during renovations, had to undergo very strict inspections after meeting a total of 150 policy and procedures requirements.

"Chief Anthony Everage saw the need for a short-term holding facility for juveniles who had to be detained, so the two holding cells were added when our building was renovated," said Scarbrough. "Before we added these cells, juveniles had to be transported to Dothan, Opelika and sometimes Bay Minette. And cost the department in man hours and transportation expense, especially if a juvenile had to be in court here in Pike County the next day."

Renovations were completed on the police department building in 2000 and it took the rest of that year to meet all of the mandatory standards of the ADYS, which is based in Montgomery and is the licensing agency for short and long-term youth residential programs in the state.

Sgt. Scarbrough said ADYS licensed the facility temporarily in Jan. of 2001 and the department had six months to meet the mandatory standards before being issued a permanent license. After meeting those standards,

he said, there were 17 additional standards the department had to comply with within a six-month period of time.

"As of today, we have submitted all of the standards required by ADYS," said Scarbrough. "Tentatively everything went well, and from what ADYS has told us, we are above what the

standards require with our facility."

Because it is a short-term facility, the department

is allowed to hold juveniles for only 72 hours. But even with that stipulation, Scarbrough said it has saved the department a lot of time, money and man hours.

Sgt. Scarbrough explained that there is a regional inspection group from ADYS who conducts periodic inspections of the facility. "During the first year, monthly inspections were conducted," he said.

Scarbrough said the department works with the local juvenile officers to make sure they are following the correct procedures when a juvenile is brought into the facility. "We make sure we are doing things the way they are supposed to be done," he said.

Darleen Hill serves as director of the facility.