Kentucky State Senator John Schickel joined multiple sheriffs and police chiefs in speaking at a press conference demanding the reopening of the state's only all-girl detention facility, NPR affiliate WVXU News reported July 18.
The Campbell Region Juvenile Detention Center was not only the state's only all-girl facility but also the only juvenile justice facility in Northern Kentucky. The center closed only six months after it opened in December due to a lack of staff, and patients were relocated to a facility hours away.
The facility was to remain closed for 90 days, but officials said the closure is putting too much strain on local resources.
The closing has created difficulties for local law enforcement, in part because transportation provided by the Department of Juvenile Justice can take hours to arrive, so police officers must either wait with the child or transport the child themselves, according to the report.
"We're the only region that I know whose detention facility is not taking people. The other ones are all still in operation. We're a major metropolitan area across the river from a major city. We need this detention facility open," Mr. Schickel said at the press conference.