Brookings jail getting 'drive-up' window for 24/7 participants

Talk about it

BROOKINGS (AP) — The Brookings County Detention Center is getting its own "drive-up" window.

But don't expect to be able to order burgers or fries. The window will allow corrections officers to perform portable breathalyzer tests faster and more efficiently, Sheriff Marty Stanwick told the media.

Stanwick said officers can sometimes have as many as 40 people coming to the detention center twice a day to perform their required breathalyzer test as part of the 24/7 Sobriety Program. The program targets repeat drunken-driving offenders, giving them the option of coming to the sheriff's office for twice-a-day testing instead of going to jail.

Participants must now pass through three secured doors when arriving and leaving the testing area.

"That makes six times doors have to be opened and closed for each participant," Stanwick said. "That happens twice a day for each offender. And for security reasons, the participants have to be admitted one at a time."

So Stanwick came up with the idea to administer the tests outdoors in the fenced-in entry area of the detention center through a window.

Although the sheriff and staff refer to it as a "drive-up" window, Stanwick said it will actually be a walk-up window because participants must still enter through a gate that surrounds the jail property.

The window should be operational by the beginning of May, Stanwick said.

Tags: 24/7, news, updates, state, brookings, crime, sobriety