Profits from vending machines in the Rowan County Detention Center will be used to post bail for two special groups of people awaiting trial: people charged with misdemeanor or non-violent felonies who can’t make bond and people with high risk or high-maintenance medical conditions.

Judges, county commissioners and others associated with law enforcement have endorsed the program, which is intended to reduce overcrowding and get the jail below the 160-inmate daily cap.

Throughout 1999, the average daily population was just over 193. In some instances, the population has reached over 230.

Chief Resident Superior Court Judge Larry Ford has been a prime mover in getting the program set up. While holding court in other counties, Ford saw similar programs in operation.

Ford said Thursday he’s confident the program will be a great asset to the county and commended the combined efforts to get the program up and running.

Officials see the program as a matter of economics. It will cost the county more than $1 million to finish a 48-bed pod in the Justice Center.

Many of the beds in the jail now are occupied by folks charged with minor offenses, with bonds of $500 or $1,000. Since they can’t make bail, they often spend 30 to 90 days in jail waiting for their court dates. Then, when they do get to court, they don’t get jail terms.

V.T. “Buddy” Poplin, a former Salisbury reserve officer, went to work in March as coordinator of the new program, which is operated through County Manager Tim Russell’s office.

Poplin said he will look primarily at individuals with bonds of $5,000 or less.

Poplin has spent the last several weeks working with judges, Rowan county officials and officials from other counties which already have pretrial release programs.

Poplin and Russell point out that Rowan’s effort is different from most now in operation across the state.

Rowan won’t use an electronic bracelet monitoring system, for instance. The system won’t be operated through the Sheriff’s Department. And the effort won’t focus on getting magistrates or judges to cut the bail.

The Rowan program will depend extensively on the system already in place. Magistrates will continue setting bail, and bondsmen will still be used to make bail.

Once a person has been in jail for 72 hours and qualifies for the program, Poplin can arrange bail through one of four local bonding firms that have agreed to participate. Poplin said the 72-hour lag time will give time for making sure the person isn’t wanted on a more serious offense by another agency.

Poplin will also check on the individual’s financial resources.

To qualify, a person must be a Rowan resident. The individual must sign an agreement with the county to repay the money.

Even if the county fails to recoup a penny, Poplin said it’s still a good deal. The maximum charge for a bond is $15 per $100. On a $500 bond, the county will pay a bondsman up to $75.

According to the latest figures on operating the jail, it costs the county taxpayers about $63 a day to keep someone in jail.

Poplin points out that a person being held for 30 days for a court date, in lieu of a $500 bond, is currently costing the county nearly $2,000. If the wait is 90 days, the cost is nearly $6,000.

Several months ago, when county officials were considering a pretrial program, they said that up to 30 percent of the jail population is composed of people being held on minimal bail rather than people who are a threat to the community.

County officials have also cited extraordinary costs for patients with medical needs. More than a year ago, a woman prisoner who had a difficult pregnancy had to be taken to NorthEast Medical Center in Concord two or three times a week for several months.

Courts have ruled that counties are responsible for medical costs of inmates.

A draft copy of the rules and operational procedures will be presented to the advisory board on May 2. That board includes Judge Ford, Chief District Court Judge Anna Mills Wagoner, District Attorney Bill Kenerly and Sheriff George Wilhelm.

Once the nearly 40 pages of regulations and forms have been approved, Poplin can go to work May 3 getting people out of jail.

The pretrial release program will operate out of an office on the second floor of the Justice Center, adjacent to the new courtrooms.

Poplin won’t take requests from inmates or friends. He will review the daily jail log on his computer to identify people who may qualify.

Another element of the program will include monitoring of the bails set by magistrates.

County officials have complained loudly that some magistrates set bails way beyond the severity of the offense. They have cited instances where a magistrate has set bonds five times higher than the recommended level.