Air Conditioning Malfunctions At Bergen County Jail: Sheriff

The air conditioning system at the Bergen County Jail has malfunctioned, causing four heat-related illnesses there.

The Bergen County Sheriff's Office announced Monday afternoon that the jail's HVAC system was undergoing repairs for "mechanical issues," leaving part of the failing with limited cooling.

Emergency cooling accommodations have been taken to "ensure a suitable environment for inmates and staff," the sheriff's office said.

Temporary cooling locations have been implemented and inmates' housing assignments have changed, the officer said.

Medical staff at the jail will treat "any reports of heat-related symptoms," the sheriff's office said.

Compressors were blowing cool air, but not as much as they normally do, Derek Sands, a sheriff's office spokesman told NorthJersey.com. The report stated that four heat-related illnesses were reported at the jail Tuesday.

Kaylin Padovano, a program coordinator for First Friends of New Jersey and New York, a volunteer organization that visits immigration detainees, said the problem demonstrates that the jail is not prepared to deal with an increasing number of federal inmates it houses there, NorthJersey.com reported.

It is the second illness-related problem to strike the jail inmate population in less than a month.

Five suspected cases of mumps were discovered among inmates at the Bergen County Jail in June. The jail was placed on lockdown.

Related: 5 Suspected Cases Of Mumps As Bergen County Jail Locked Down

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com