GF jail places order for warning signs

Some new signage may soon be going up at the Grand Forks County Correctional Center warning trespassers to stay away.

Jail Administrator Bret Burkholder says it’s a matter of safety and security involving the exterior of the building.  “When I was hired by Grand Forks County one of the things that was told to me is we don’t have a fence anywhere around that building because they didn’t want the appearance of it being a correctional facility.  We have an individual coming up to one of the windows of one of the cells and communicating with an inmate at night.”

Burkholder says they have plenty of no parking signs but not a single one reminding visitors that the jail grounds are a restricted area.

Commission member David Engen says signage is a good first step. “There’s no reason you couldn’t put signs 50 feet from the building.  I don’t personally have a problem with a fence at some point – but they are expensive.”

States Attorney Haley Wamstad says first time offenders would be charged with a Class “B” misdemeanor – but the offense would climb to a Class “A” offense for subsequent violations.