Tent At The County Jail?

Reporting
Rick Sallinger
E-mail DENVER (CBS4) ― Tents are going up across the city in preparation for the Democratic National Convention. That includes one at the Denver County Jail. As part of the preparations the Denver Sheriff's Department is making more room in the jail should there be mass arrests.

An additional 50 inmates can be housed in the tent. It's air conditioned and the one time it was used before, inmates practically begged to be moved there.

"This is nothing more than a contingency plan," Ron Foos with the Denver Sheriff's Department said. "We'll determine whether we house people here depending on the population inside the jail."

The gym was also being prepared. It can house 50 to 75 beds called "boats."

Around 100 inmates are being shipped out to other jail facilities in different counties.

Wednesday, the rest of the media was allowed in to see what CBS4 revealed last week -- a warehouse converted into a processing center for those arrested during the convention.

"If people become aggressive, violent and hostile, these are people we would remove from the cell and move to the city jail," said Bill Lovingier, Undersheriff.

Signs warn that electric stun devices are used in the facility, but the barbed wire at the facility a week ago is now gone. The cage-like cells will have roofs made of chain link wire.

"Actually I think this will much more comfortable than the downtown city jail if anyone has to end up there," community member Joe Mauro said.
CBS 7