PLACENTIA : La Habra Will Book Placentia Suspects

Under a recently approved contract with the La Habra Police Department, most suspects arrested in Placentia will be booked at the La Habra jail beginning next month.

Currently, suspects are booked into the Orange County Jail through the Sheriff’s Department. The city pays $158 per booking, with about 25 to 30 suspects booked each month.

La Habra offered to book and house Placentia’s prisoners for $100 per booking, which will save the city about $17,400 annually in booking fees. According to Placentia Police Capt. Jim Robertson, the city will also save in other costs by using the La Habra jail.

“Both jails are about the same distance,” Robertson said. “But at the county jail, officers have to get in line to book prisoners, especially on weekends when the CHP is busy.”

Robertson estimated that officers spend about two hours while booking a suspect at the county jail. They now will be able to cut their turn-around time in half by using the less-crowded La Habra facility.

That time savings will not only save the city overtime costs, Robertson said, it will also keep more officers on the street.

However, some suspects arrested in Placentia will continue to be booked at the county jail. According to Robertson, violent offenders and those needing medical attention will be taken to the county facility. The La Habra jail can hold up to 37 people, and when that jail is full, additional suspects will be booked into the county jail.

In a separate agreement, La Habra will also provide court liaison services to the city. Currently, Placentia does not have an employee stationed at the courthouse to keep track of when officers are needed to testify, file cases and process subpoenas. These duties are handled by various personnel, an arrangement that Robertson said is neither cost-effective nor efficient.

By contracting for the service with La Habra, which will cost about $16,000 a year, the city expects to save up to $15,000 a year in overtime and stand-by pay, as well as decrease the amount of time officers spend at the courthouse.

Both agreements with La Habra take effect in August.