It took four years, a lawsuit and a land deal, but what matters is that the city of Wichita is now on board with trying to exercise more discretion in booking people into the Sedgwick County Jail on municipal charges. This not only promises to save the city on jail fees but also makes Wichita, like other cities in the county, a full partner in the county’s determination to mitigate jail crowding and avoid another costly expansion. Public safety always will require that some people arrested for violating city ordinances go to jail, but the city is smart to be newly seeking other ways of handling arrestees who aren’t dangerous.
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