Beaufort County’s jail website has shown zero arrests in 2 weeks. What’s happening?
Looking at the website for the Beaufort County jail, it would appear that every police officer in the county went on vacation at the same time.
There were zero arrests in the past two weeks, according to the Beaufort County Detention Center site.
The problem, however, is a glitch caused by a software update in the jail system.
“They’re in the process of fixing that,” said Phil Foot, assistant county administrator of public safety, who oversees the jail. “I’m at the mercy of [information technology] people.”
Foot, who said the problem started about two weeks ago, added there’s no timeline for when the website will be fixed.
The website is supposed to list the people who were arrested in the county, their photo, what they were charged with, when they entered jail, and when they left.
Though the agency is not legally required to post that information, Foot said he sees it as a public service and has received a lot of emails wondering when it’s coming back.
“One person said it was their morning ritual to see who was arrested” the night before, he said.
Those featured on the website have been charged with a crime, and not convicted of one.
Additionally, some police departments across the country have stopped the flow of jail mugshots, citing research that shows they create an inaccurate correlation between race and crimes committed.
