Up to 150 inmates will be temporarily housed at the McHenry County jail. It's part of a one-year agreement between the two counties.
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Staffing levels at Lake County jail are down nearly 40%, officials said.
Lake County Sheriff's Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said the shortage is due to retirements, medical leave, and other absences.
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He said the shortage is putting staff and inmate safety at risk.
"We have correctional officers that have been forced to work double shifts multiple times a pay period," Covelli said. "So 16-hour days monitoring inmates, doing one of the most important task of the sheriffs office, that is a lot of burden to put on our staff."
Inmates will start moving next week as Lake County looks at ways to recruit and hire new jail staff.