Officials at the Butler County Prison want to turn a part of the jail known as “the pit” into a Crisis Intervention Center. They might also be in the market to replace an old car known as the “Blue Bomber,” with the Prison Board approving funds for the purchase at a cap of $38,000.

Speaking on Tuesday at the monthly board meeting, Warden Joe DeMore noted that the jail only has two vehicles in its stable used for transportation. It was said that one of the cars, a 2005 Ford Fusion, is nearing the end of its usable life. With the board approving the purchase of a replacement vehicle, the matter will move to a commissioners' public meeting, with the next one scheduled Dec. 27. The replacement car would need an internal cage for inmate transportation.

DeMore and Deputy Warden of Operations Beau Sneddon also told the board that they are considering a plan to repurpose an area of the prison that currently has just a few cells and a row of chairs into a pair of cells for those on suicide watch.

“It's a big space that isn't being used,” DeMore said to the board members, among whom are the three commissioners and District Attorney Richard Goldinger.

They also want to add padding to two current cells. Sneddon described the plan as turning the space into a Crisis Intervention Center that will increase the line of sight for guards on duty.

“This is a project that would take a long time,” DeMore said, adding that he isn't yet requesting funds.

After the meeting, Sneddon explained the idea behind the desired change,

“It's more to get (inmates) somewhere safe and secure until they come out of crisis,” he said.