Pueblo pretrial services to be tweaked
Pueblo Police Chief Luis Velez says he’s frustrated with what he called a “revolving door” at the Pueblo County Jail for some criminals.
He says some are getting out of jail almost as soon as they’re taken into custody, like known gang member Ricardo Suazo. He bonded out last week after an arrest on drug charges.
The quick release of inmates is part of the pretrial services program, aimed at reducing the jail population.
But Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk Taylor says the program isn’t working when it comes to recurring criminals.
“It seems as to me that they’re concentrating on post sentence because that’s more lucrative financially for both a company and the courts,” he said about the company, Rocky Mountain Offender Management Systems, that runs the program.
The group in charge of the program, including the sheriff’s office, police department and district attorney, is meeting this month to discuss making adjustments.
